Appearances are Deceiving
by kdzl
Summary: Casefic-kind of. The team must go undercover to solve a killer executing troubled teens and parents. JJ/Reid in later chapters. Set a little after Birthright.
1. Chapter 1

I've liked this idea for a long time. It is going to be mostly a casefic with a little bit of JJ/Reid, and _possibly_ Hotch/Prentiss.

* * *

"Let's go over this one more time" Hotch said as he paced around the room. The stress of the case was beginning to wear on all of them. It had been 4 months of family killings, in each case a teenager and at least one parent figure. They had no leads. The profile led them to suspect a person who was lashing out at his or her former self and the parents who were too weak to help them. The problem was that the killing team was perfecting their methods, evolving, and learning new ways to kill, and leaving no evidence behind. Garcia was able to easily anticipate the next location of the victims by finding a correlation to a "troubled teens" week-long family seminar in affluent small towns around the country. They had watched as families went to the seminar, and days later were murdered in their own home.

"This just doesn't make sense" Morgan complained, throwing pictures of victims back to the center of the table. "One unsub is meticulous, calculated, and cold. He has a high level of education, but no job, as he is obsessed with the ritual and is able to follow the seminar to and from different locations."

"He doesn't work directly with the seminar, or travel with them, since we've had tails on everybody involved with the seminar and none of them have panned out." Prentiss continued. "Unsub number two is the subservient. He cleans up afterwards, probably doesn't participate in the kills, but definitely cleans up after."

Reid was standing at the board with pictures of the victims. "Our unsubs are likely too disturbed to hold down a regular job. They would stand out, if not for unsub 3 that protects them, and provides for them. Helping them to move around the country, he feels sympathetic to the cause—enough to stay loyal, not enough likely to participate in the kills or in the cleanup."

JJ interrupted by walking quickly into the room. "The Oregon field office has just confirmed the next family of victims, right where we thought just outside Portland."

The faces of each member of the team tried to stay impassive, but the devastation was evident to everyone. JJ continued "Garcia's looking for other connections to the victims, and the only thing that she's finding is what we found before. Troubled teens with one or more parents—kids that have been caught up in everything from sex to drugs to bad grades to gangs. There just isn't much"

"What we need is to get into those seminars undetected, as participants." Rossi mused "Every time we've had people at the seminar, it hasn't mattered. We need to draw them to us. With this killing team, they aren't likely to contact the media or inject themselves in the investigation, so we _need_ to find them."

Everyone's head jerked at the seemingly absurd idea. Rossi looked around "What? No one that we've interviewed is connected to the seminar that's going to be held in Des Moines. It's all new people…just like every time. We need to get on the inside. Profile every person that's there. We could get a couple of people to go as staff, and others to go as participants."

"Rossi, that's all well and good, but participants are selected state-wide by their local police departments and schools. Kids have to get a certain GPA, and have approval from the school. They're escorted in person with their parents to the seminar." Morgan pointed out

"And I don't think the company is going to give us any more slack. They made that perfectly clear to me last time. Not that they'd know if we were there, since the seminar management doesn't show up." JJ added "But they're not going to let us in to another seminar."

"Garcia," Hotch said towards the speaker phone. The rest of the group smiled as Garcia replied, "Computer goddess at your service."

"How could you get us into the next seminar?" He asked poignantly.

"Well you come to the right place. I can come up with new identities for y'all faster than you can say peaches. The problem is getting you in. I'm assuming you want to go in as guests, but I can get a couple of people in as staff. As for guests, it's a little harder—all of their documents are hard copies, they don't put any of their admissions on the computer since a lot of these little punks are budding geniuses themselves and could hack their way into Fort Knox. The only way you're getting in is getting invited by the police or a guidance counselor. This seminar has all of the guidance counselors' names and info so that well meaning parents can't sneak their punk kids in."

"Getting invited into the seminar shouldn't be a problem; all we need is some punk kid to get in trouble with the police or at school." Rossi pointed out as JJ left the room to answer a call from yet another distraught police officer.

"Thanks mama" Morgan said as he ended the call. "Are we really thinking about doing this? I mean, could any of us pass for being under 18? It'd be a little difficult to find some perfect kid to use as bait"

"JJ can" Emily said quietly to not let JJ hear. "She gets carded all the time for everything." Seeing the disbelief of her colleagues she continued "It really is true, one time we went to a bar and they carded her because they thought she was 15." She laughed as she remembered the scene from a few months earlier.

JJ reentered the room, curious as to why the team was now staring at her. Emily turned to JJ and continued "Or remember last week when we went to that club and you got carded? It was hilarious!" JJ shot a dirty look at Prentiss.

"Maybe to you, but I get it all the time." JJ retorted.

"With the right makeup and clothes, I bet she can pass for as young as 16." Emily said with finality.

"Hey, Reid's always getting asked how old he is…why not use him too?" Morgan teased "I mean, we need to get as many of us as we can in. Somebody could go as Reid's parent, somebody else as JJ's. I can go as staff, since I think it's fairly obvious that I couldn't be one of their parents."

"Umm, I don't think it's likely--" Reid started

"Ok, how are we going to do this?" Rossi interrupted asking the team, now seated around the table. "Whatever we do, we've got to spend a little time getting integrated in the community. No cop is going to send off these kids if they've been there for a day." Everyone sat in silence, not sure of what to do next.

"JJ, get the acquisition forms for places for us to stay. Rossi and Reid will be together, Prentiss, JJ, and I will be together. Morgan will stay at a hotel down the street for surveillance and backup. Prentiss, Rossi, and I will need cars. You and Reid will need clothes and school supplies, so do all your form stuff. We're flying to Iowa tomorrow morning, so Emily, you take JJ shopping, and Morgan, you take Reid. Takeoff is tomorrow morning at 8:00. I'll get the clearance and the covers taken care of. Also, I'll expedite a reimbursement for all the clothes," Hotch said as he walked out of the door on his cell phone, calling the director.

"Are you ready to go Em?" JJ asked, a little bewildered. She had done a little undercover work, and they had all been trained at the academy, but that was several years ago.

* * *

Emily and JJ talked as they walked to the mall. It was only a couple of blocks from the precinct. Apparently Morgan had an idea of a great place to take Reid, so he had declined the invite to join the girls at the mall.

"How am I supposed to look like a 16 year old? I mean, I've spent my whole life trying to make myself look older, but I don't know how to look like a teenager!" JJ said after their first hour of shopping left her exasperated.

"I've got an idea" Emily almost shouted as she ran to find a sales person. "Hi, I'll give you 100 to help me." She told the girl. "It's a long story, but I need my friend over there to look a lot younger. Can you help me find the stuff that'll make her look 16?"

"Ma'am, for another 100 I'll show you how she should do her hair and makeup too!" The girl squealed as she came from behind the counter.

2 hours later Prentiss & JJ had completed their new wardrobe adventure. Since JJ & Reid would be going to a private school with uniforms, her clothes could be a little more extreme, which did not excite JJ. Their sales girl, Jami, had just been ending her shift and had been more than happy to drag the two women around the mall, chatting loudly about boys, music, pop culture, and pretty much everything else. JJ tried not to be obvious as she mentally took notes of all the things that Jami talked about. Not that she had to know everything, but a couple of group names here and there wouldn't hurt. Neither would popular TV shows and stars. Jami had even recruited girls from the hair place to give JJ a make-over. By the time they were finished and JJ changed into her clothes, it was well after 7.

"C'mon, let's go get something to eat" Prentiss practically begged. Carrying bags of clothing in both arms they walked and chatted as they made their way to the food court. Stopping by the Chinese Express place, JJ picked her food and proceeded to pay. She pulled out her debit card, handed it to the cashier, who was a tall pimpled boy no older than 18.

"Who do you think I am?" He asked sharply. "Look, even if this is your mom, I can't run her credit card without her here." He said condescendingly and handed the card back to her. "You're what? 17? Tops! I'll get fired if I run this through and you're mom calls."

Prentiss laughed as she handed her card to the cashier. "These are together." She said pointing to JJ's food as JJ glowered towards the cashier. "Looks like Jami knew what she was doing." JJ snorted.

Truth be told, Prentiss thought, JJ _did _look like she was 17. With low-rider jeans and a black camisole with pink sequins in a lip shape, she just looked…..young. "Why don't you go find us a place to sit, and I'll grab the drinks?" Prentiss offered as JJ just grumbled and walked away.

* * *

JJ was annoyed. It spoke volumes to their desperation that he had agreed to let the entire team go undercover. It wasn't like she hadn't ever gone undercover before, but this was different. She was supposed to be 16 again…and it all just seemed to point to her position as one of the youngest on the team. Did it mean they thought she was inferior? Or did they think she was a bad agent? No, it had to mean that Hotch trusted her enough to be convincing—but then he had positioned her with himself AND Emily as…well, she wasn't quite sure what the covers were going to be, but regardless she was being teamed up with her boss and her best friend. She felt conflicted and downright stupid, 'are people really going to believe that I am sixteen?' She thought. JJ continued to brood over her current situation when a male voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hey there, I'm Mike, and this is Peter"

* * *

Prentiss chuckled as she filled up the drinks and signed the receipt. What was going to be so bad about all of this? She wasn't quite sure what JJ was making such a big deal of. It wasn't like rocket science or anything, it was just high school. She turned around and went to go find JJ she was surprised to find her sitting with 2 different pimple faced boys, who were trying to get her number.

Prentiss chuckled as she made her way through the maze of tables in the food court. These boys were obviously trying to impress JJ who was not in the mood to play along. 3 hours of shopping had taken their toll on the blonde who seemed grumpy. The indifference that she showed towards the teen boys only seemed to fuel their fire. The boys, looking up and seeing Prentiss approaching saw the signal for their departure and left their phone number on a napkin with JJ who politely, but firmly waved them away.

"MEN!" JJ loudly whispered while Prentiss struggled to keep her laughter under control. "It doesn't matter how old they are, they only want one thing."

"I think I would call them boys, though" Prentiss joked.

"You know," Prentiss mused "you should feel flattered that teenage boys still think you're hot." JJ snorted with disgust.

"Yeah, whatever, I've been dealing with people thinking I'm younger my whole life. It gets old really fast."

They finished their dinner while talking about superficial things that didn't really matter; finally Emily Prentiss could take it no longer. "JJ, are you sure you're up to this? I mean, you don't have to do this…you know that right?" JJ failed to look up as Emily's eyes seemed to pierce through her. She sighed, it really was no use trying to hide things from a bunch of profilers.

"I know, I just think this is the best way for us to catch a break in the case right now." JJ finally replied.

"Look, you're the genius profiler, you tell me. Why does a good kid suddenly go off the deep end?" Prentiss thoughtfully seemed to consider the younger agents question.

"Well, at the risk of sounding cliché, it usually is some form of teenage rebellion. Moving to a new area, or adapting to major life changes causes teenagers to act out in order to assert themselves in their lives." Prentiss rattled off as though she were reading a text book

"Wow! You _are_ a genius profiler." Emily attempted not to beam at JJ's compliment.

"Why don't we just get back to the hotel, we've got a long couple of days coming up for us." Emily attempted to divert the praise away from her. JJ nodded in assent and they meandered out of the mall towards their hotel.

"You know, the one bright spot of this whole thing is that we'll get to see Spence tomorrow" JJ said softly.

Emily laughed heartily at JJ's surprising admission. "Why? Are you excited to spend more time with the young doctor?" She teased as JJ swatted her lightly on the shoulder, noticing that JJ's face had now turned a deep color of crimson.

"No, I just mean that I'd have paid somebody to let me give him a makeover…so I wonder how Morgan did." JJ countered, hoping that Emily bought her lame excuse.

"Right" Emily muttered sarcastically, secretly relieved that JJ was no longer in a terrible mood. JJ knew that she wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight, but was glad to finally be done shopping. It wasn't that she didn't like to shop, just that the combined stress of the case and worrying about the 'undercover situation'. Their hotel was fairly close to the mall and the precinct, so they had decided to walk. By the time they finally reached the hotel, it was still early, but both women were tired. They separated for the night without seeing any of their male colleagues.

Prentiss shut the door to her room and immediately began restudying the case files, combing them over one more time. There had to be something that they were missing!

Once JJ had finished the acquisition forms and other paperwork, sent it in to the bureau, and gotten whatever confirmation she needed, she changed and lay on the bed. Positive that she would be up all night, JJ turned on the TV only to nod into deep sleep moments later.

* * *

AN/ Let me know what you think? I couldn't get this idea out of my mind, and although I'm working on another story, I couldn't get this out of my head.


	2. Chapter 2

Spencer Reid graduated high school as valedictorian at age 12. He graduated College at 15, and by the age of 23 he had 3 doctorate degrees and was working for the most elite team in the FBI. The idea of returning to high school where he had been tormented and mocked during his formative years was not appealing. Even worse was the "style" that Morgan had helped him pick out. Morgan had insisted that Reid buy no pants other than well worn jeans, and declared he couldn't wear any shirts that were a) sweaters, b) had collars, or c) had buttons. To make matters worse, Morgan had made him cut his hair--which while Reid vehemently protested, Morgan eventually tackled him and forced him into the barbers chair. Now, looking in the mirror, Dr. Spencer Reid felt like he was looking at himself just after he had achieved his first doctorate in criminal law. He had no idea how to be a regular high school kid, '_how in the world is this supposed to work?'_

JJ was not having any more luck in her own room. Having picked out one of the outfits that she had purchased yesterday and completing her hair and makeup, she too gave herself a final look in the mirror. _'No one is going to believe this.'_ She thought finally before packing up the rest of her clothes and getting ready to leave. She was meeting Spence, Morgan, and Prentiss in 10 minutes, but she didn't really want to be out in public any more than she had to be. _'I'm a grown woman! This is ridiculous!'_

Prentiss and Morgan had quickly gotten ready and were waiting long before Reid and JJ joined them in the main lobby. Both wanted to inspect the work of the other, excited to tease their coworkers' youthful appearances. Reid came out of the elevator first. Prentiss gaped in shock as he walked over to them. He was wearing distressed jeans, and a brown t-shirt that complimented his chocolate eyes. His hair had been cut, and was now short and shaggy--giving him a youthful appearance. Overall, it was simple and did make him look like a kid. But, it was attractive enough that Prentiss suspected the girls at his 'school' would be fawning all over him.

"Good work Derek!" Prentiss whispered to Morgan before Reid approached them.

"We all ready to go?" Reid asked nervously

"We're just waiting for JJ" Morgan replied, smugly nodding at Prentiss.

JJ followed about 3 minutes later, and now it was Morgan's turn to gape. She was dressed in low-rider jeans that had a little flare and a embroidered pattern of something on the pant-leg and on the back pocket. Her light blue form fitting t-shirt showed her figure and complemented her eyes. Adding to her youthful appearance, her hair had also been cut a little shorter with long bangs and her hair seemed to dance along with her as she stepped.

"Wow" Morgan breathed as Prentiss smirked and JJ approached.

"You ready?" Prentiss asked JJ who nodded silently.

* * *

The ride to the airstrip was pretty uneventful. JJ stared out the window while Prentiss and Morgan sitting in the front seemed to idly chat to diffuse the silence. Reid was studying his hands, almost afraid to look up at their colleagues. Both Reid and JJ were feeling ridiculous in their new wardrobe. Prentiss and Morgan on the other hand, couldn't keep from looking in the mirror and watching their two younger coworkers. Finally they reached the airstrip and boarded the plane, knowing that Rossi and Hotch would already be on the plane. JJ and Reid were the only ones with actual luggage, the rest traveling with their ready bags. Prentiss and JJ began to move towards the plane after Morgan had insisted on taking her luggage to the plane. Hotch was up in the cockpit talking with the pilots when the four boarded the plane. Rossi raised an eyebrow as his coworkers found their seats.

"Hotch should be back in a second."

Almost as if on cue Hotch made his way back to the sitting area in the plane. "Wheels up in 5" he said smiling at the appearance of his youngest agents. "Let's go over covers," Hotch demanded passing out the files. "I kept first names all the same, just to make it easier. I know that is irregular, but because of the limited time we have to prepare, I just figured it'd be easier. Look over your covers, let me know if you have any questions." Hotch finished.

Emily grabbed her file and began to slowly read over the details. She knew in some capacity Hotch had assigned them together, but it was just another job. She was a 38 year old second wife of…Aaron Hotchner. _'This should be interesting'_she thought as she continued to read the cover. The plane ride was awkwardly silent as everyone studied their covers. David Rossi was too famous with law enforcement throughout the country, so Reid became the 17 year old nephew that lived with Rossi after his parents died in a car accident, much to Rossi's chagrin. Hotch pretended to sleep on the couch of the plane while Rossi attempted to avoid Reid's inane questions.

When the plane landed, they separated into separate cars. Rossi and Reid heading to their 'house' for the next little while.

Prentiss, Hotch, and JJ stepped into the black SUV. "So, JJ….you excited to go back to school?" Prentiss teased to break the silence, as Hotch laughed and JJ groaned.

"You're as bad as Garcia" JJ retorted, "She called me this morning full of one liners, 'who's your daddy?'" JJ mimicked. "As if this isn't all bad enough, everybody thinks they're a comedian!" They pulled up to the small home the bureau had secured for them.

JJ and Emily began to wander through the home, setting down their stuff and getting a feel for the layout of the house. They had only been in the house five minutes when the doorbell rang unexpectedly. Hotch was closest to the door having just been in the kitchen looking at the empty refrigerator, and moved to answer the door. Checking through the peep hole, he found a middle-aged couple on their doorstep with a teenage son and daughter.

Hotch quickly opened the door to survey the family more closely. The boy was obviously older than his sister but both seemed in their late teens. "Hi! We're the Johnson's!" The mother said brightly, quietly surveying the home. "Wow! You sure moved in fast! The Wheelers only moved out last Tuesday!" Hotch smiled, this woman was obviously the neighborhood busybody.

Hotch raised an eyebrow as Prentiss and JJ came into the main living room separately. "Aaron Hotchner" he said, introducing himself as the family moved to the living room, leaving Prentiss and JJ in the entry way. "Umm, this is my wife, Emily, and my daughter Jennifer." Prentiss smiled and JJ nodded at the mention of their names. "These are our…neighbors? The Johnsons" Hotch said.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I must have forgotten, I'm Molly, this is my husband Eric. We live across the street. Nathan and Rebecca both go to Midland Academy, he's a senior, she's a sophomore." Emily smiled as JJ attempted to remain impassive while struggling not to roll her eyes. This woman was so over the top that it was unbelievable! "So, Jennifer, how old are you?" Molly asked JJ condescendingly.

"Umm, I go by JJ, and I'm a uh, sophomore." She stated.

"And where will you be going to school sweetie?"

JJ attempted not to cringe as the woman spoke down to her. "Um, I am going to Midland."

"Oh, well Rebecca why don't you go show _Jennifer _around while the grownups talk?" Molly smiled and said sweetly to her daughter. The young girl practically jumped out of her seat at the opportunity to leave. As her brother went to join them, Molly corrected him saying "No, Nathan, you stay here with the adults, let the girls have time to themselves."

The girl, Rebecca, was almost out the door when she looked back to make sure that JJ was following her, "you coming?" With a small look at Hotch, and his almost imperceptible nod, JJ made her way out of the house following the teenage girl.

"Wow! I don't know about you, but I hate that introduction stuff…my mom always makes us come, and it's always super awkward. Sorry about her…she is a little over the top sometimes. Call me Becca…everyone else does (beside my mom) and she's just weird about stuff like that…sorry, I'm rambling, I tend to do that a lot…I'll just stop talking now." Becca said with a smile. JJ laughed. This girl seemed nice, even if she was only 16.

"So, what about you?" Becca asked after seconds of silence, "you don't look like you're parents at all. What do you like to do? Where're you guys coming from? SORRY! Rambling again!"

JJ smiled as she remembered the cover "I'm from DC, I like to play soccer—it's kind of my passion. Emily's my step mom," she finished trying to answer all of the girl's questions.

"Wow! That's so cool!" Becca started, and seemed that she couldn't stop the words from flowing out her mouth, "So what happened to your mom? Oh! You probably don't want to talk about that! Sorry! What does your dad do?" Without allowing JJ an opportunity to answer she continued, "My dad's a lawyer and my mom stays at home, 'Susie Homemaker', you know the type. What're your parents like? They seem nice."

She smiled sheepishly at JJ, "Sorry," and taking a deep breath continued, "my brother Nate says that I'm a motor mouth."

JJ laughed "No, I like it, I'm not a big talker, so it's all good. My mom died 2 years ago, dad just remarried, and he and Emily got jobs out here so here we are!"

JJ chatted with her new found 'friend' for what felt like hours before she questioned whether they should go back, to which Becca replied defiantly, "I bet my mom's still at your house trying to see what type of people you are. Nate's probably ready to just DIE of boredom, and my dad is probably silently reciting football statistics as he pretends to be interested. It's what always happens. Let's stay out here for as long as we can!"

"So, what's this place like?" JJ ventured, if she were supposed to get 'in trouble' she'd have to know what to do. Odd, it was, that she was selected for this assignment. She had always been the straight-laced girl, never getting into trouble, always working hard. She was a small town success story, and now she was trying to be the opposite.

"I don't know what DC is like, but it's really boring here. There's not much to do EVER!"

Minutes later, JJ finally convinced her confidante to return to Hotch and Prentiss. Entering the home, JJ could see that Becca's mother was still in their living room, droning on about how Prentiss could cook the perfect roast. Just as Becca had described the older gentleman was looking directly at his wife, but it was though he were staring straight through her and the son seemed as though he would rather be doing hours worth of copying words out of a dictionary than listen to his mother anymore.

"Oh, you two are back so quickly, I was just thinking we should--" Molly attempted to continue her monologue.

"Actually, we've got to go get dinner ready, it was a pleasure to meet you." Emily said politely but forcefully. She had never been more grateful for her political upbringing that taught her how to get people to respond the way she wanted them to. Ushering the family of four out of the home she smiled as she shut the door before Molly could interrupt.

"I thought that woman would never get out of here." Hotch said exasperated while the two women smiled as he voiced their own opinions.

"Let's get to work."

* * *

AN/ So, what'd you think? I have decided to _probably_ not go with the H/P ship, just 'cause it would be a little too much. But, you never know, I might change my mind :)


	3. Chapter 3

AN/ Sorry, this took a while to update.

* * *

"Excuse me, can you tell me where Mr. Blakely's office is?" Prentiss authoritatively asked the woman with pink glasses who seemed eternally annoyed.

"Oh, you must be Mrs. Hotchner." The woman replied snootily, the words sounding extremely awkward to both Prentiss and JJ.

"Yes, we were supposed to meet before school, he's supposed to be waiting for us."

"Ma'am, I'm afraid you can't go back there quite yet, he's with another student. Please take a seat. He'll be with you when he can." The woman replied dismissively.

The slam of the counselor's office startled the two women, who looked up only to see Reid's face red with embarrassment as Rossi trailed from behind. "_Jewelry making. _She put me in _JEWLERY MAKING." _Reid seemed to mutter repetitively.

"Jennifer Hotchner?" The counselor peeked out of his office to call them in.

Walking in to Mr. Blakely's office, Emily was immediately surrounded by football memorabilia and basketball trophies with 'Go Midland Mackerels' banners draped along the walls. Mr. Blakely was a large balding man with dark hair whose front two teeth seemed just a little too far apart from each other, a fact that did not go unnoticed by JJ.

"Why Jennifer, it's nice to have you at our school--the home of the Fighting Fish!" He said proudly. Seeing as how the other women were not impressed, he began to search through her file. "Why, Jennifer, it seems that you really are quite advanced, but you seem to have a knack for getting in trouble. We won't have that here, now will we?"

JJ fingering the plaid skirt had been envisioning the various methods that she could destroy the hideous uniform was startled out of her plotting. "Uh, yes sir."

The counselor and Prentiss looked at her searchingly, "So will we have problems or won't we?"

"No. Sorry. No problems." She recovered sheepishly.

"Ok," Mr. Blakely continued warily "here's your class schedule. We have an A/B schedule which means you go to the first four classes today and the next four tomorrow. Classes start in 10 minutes. Here is your map and locker number. Hope you brought your calculator!" He ushered the confused women out of his office.

JJ, looking down at the class schedule muttered, "I'm going to _kill _Garcia."

Prentiss, surprised, examined the piece of paper and saw the classes Garcia had 'selected' for her friend. Advanced physics, intermediate chemistry, advanced calculus, Latin, dance, early Russian literature, African art history, and European and Asian history.

"Oh, come on, it can't be that bad." Prentiss offered smiling

"Emily, the last time I took math I was a junior in high school. I got a B, so I never took it again. I didn't even have to take it in college. And don't even get me started about dance. I used to make _fun_ of the people who took dance. It's not even a sport!" JJ complained, groaning loudly.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, just think of what she did to Reid."

"Why, what'd she do to Spence?"

Emily attempted to keep herself from laughing as she recounted "Oh, she just signed him up for some classes she thought he'd like. You know, pottery. Basics of physics, advanced theater, remedial math, gym, study hall, sports history and jewelry making."

JJ laughed loudly at imagining Spencer Reid in a gym class, or in a play for that matter.

"Wait, how'd you know what classes Spence had?" JJ questioned, and then realization dawning continued, "YOU KNEW!"

Prentiss sheepishly retreated, "Uh, don't you have to get to class?" She asked, almost running away.

* * *

Spencer Reid had never found high school difficult. In fact, he had always found high school to be an extremely interesting educational opportunity. Yet, his day seemed to drag on as an eternity. Gym had been an absolute disaster, volleyballs flying throughout the air. His most glorious moment was when a ball had been careening towards his head and he had attempted to swat it away in terror. The swat had been interpreted by his classmates as a perfect set, earning him the reputation of a 'great athlete'. Spencer Reid had been called many things in his life, but athletic was never one of them.

Then it was off to jewelry making. WHAT A WASTE OF TIME! How could people waste so much educational opportunity on crafting earrings for some miscellaneous family member? It seemed that Garcia was out to torture him, because then in pottery he had tripped and his clay went flying, landing ever so gracefully on the teacher's desk. The teacher, not amused, furiously sent Reid to detention.

Throughout the entire day Reid felt eyes on the back of his neck. Young girls would turn and giggle as he walked down the hall. This was something he had never experienced before. On asking one girl where his next class was located, she simply pointed and ran away giggling to her friends.

JJ's day hadn't gone any better. She would have much rather been stuck in a dark room with Spence spouting off random statistics than sit through another lecture on physics. The teacher might as well have been speaking German because as he explained the various terms and calculations, JJ was completely lost. Furiously taking copious notes she was eternally grateful for the bell that rang, singing her release from the prison that was physics.

Chemistry was not nearly as bad, possibly because her first years in college were spent as an undeclared chemistry major. Knowing her friend Garcia had attempted to pick the worse classes possible, JJ was grateful for many things. She was grateful her friend had assumed that her chemistry classes were required, and not the result of a little girl wanting to grow up to be like her scientist father. She was grateful for the professor that convinced her that Communications was the way for her. She was grateful for her secret.

By the time calculus rolled around JJ was wishing for a roomful of angry reporters and a case with no available information. Math, particularly calculus, had never been one of her strengths. Resigning herself, she ignored the hand cramps and continued her note taking.

As the lunch bell rang, the two seasoned FBI agents had never been so grateful. JJ stuffed her oversized books into the locker when she was startled from a deep voice coming from behind.

"You're new here." A tall confident light haired boy smiled, "I'm Jake." Seeing that she didn't respond, he continued, "Advanced Chem, huh? That's rough."

"Yeah." She replied, debating whether to deposit the remaining books in her locker. _Only one class left for the day!_ She thought happily.

"Hey, do you want to come eat lunch with me?" The boy asked sweetly. "I know it's tough being new here, and-"

He was interrupted by Spencer Reid's grateful sigh.

"JJ, I'm so glad to see you!" He practically shouted. "You would never believe the day I am having. How has your first day of school been? Did you like your..." Reid continued to speak as the confident boy, Jake, realized that JJ was no longer listening to him and left silently, obviously upset that he had been rejected.

"Spence, I have never been so glad to see you in my entire life." JJ whispered, placing her arm around Reid's waist, effectively signaling to all the other boys that she was _unavailable _as they walked into the lunchroom.

"What do you mean?" He asked obliviously as they entered the shortest line.

"All these boys keep asking me to eat with them, to sit by them, or whatever. I am NOT a pedophile!" JJ said as Reid smirked softly.

They waited in silence as they got their food from the large buffet line. Once they were in the main lunchroom, everyone was talking too loudly for their conversation to be overheard.

"Jewelry making! Did you know Garcia signed me up for jewelry making? This is _ridiculous!_" He finished angrily as they found a table to eat lunch.

"I know, I heard you complaining this morning. It's not like my day's been a blast. Although _you_ may find advanced physics and calculus to be as fun as ice cream in the park, I think I'd rather eat a porcupine."

"Actually, did you know that some Native American cultures consider the porcupine to be one of the most intelligent animals, and that by eating it's body a person can achieve a higher state of peace in their own lives. In fact, some have even documented experiences where-"

JJ smiled listening to Reid go on about some useless piece of information. Reid's monologue was interrupted from his explanation by Becca who had found JJ.

"Hey JJ, where've you been? I've been looking for you everywhere!" The dark haired neighbor eyed Reid excitedly.

"Hi! I'm Becca. Me and JJ are neighbors! Who are you? I've never met you before; I bet you're new too."

JJ smiled and stopped her new 'friend', introducing her to Reid.

"Becca, this is Spence. Spence, apparently you've already met Becca." The younger girl nodded her approval to JJ and mouthed "_he's hot_" while Reid was busy playing with the slop on his plate. JJ, unfortunately, had just taken a large gulp of water and almost choked.

"So, Spence, where do you go next?" JJ asked, attempting to avoid the orange-like mess that was her school lunch.

Reid's eyes became downcast as he muttered "Basics of Physics." JJ would have laughed at the cute way his lip unconsciously pouted when he was upset.

"Well, I'll try not to be jealous of your physics experience. At least it's the last class of the day, right?" She added hopefully as the bell rang signaling the end of lunch.

"Yeah, you don't get to spend the rest of the day with Rossi." JJ almost laughed out loud at that, and countered "No, but I get to go to _Latin_ now. I mean, what use is it learning a language that nobody speaks?"

JJ laughed at Reid's almost wistful expression and turned to her next class.

* * *

"I wonder how the lovebirds are liking school." Garcia laughed to Morgan as she was looking up various possible leads.

"Baby girl, you are absolutely evil. I can't believe you put Reid in theater and pottery!" He said chuckling, imagining the look on the young doctor's face as he sat through boring classes where he couldn't apply himself.

"Yeah, Emily said that Reid almost cried when he found out. How I wish I could have been there!" She said wishfully as she typed furiously.

"I bet JJ was livid. She pulls out a calculator for everything!" He laughed as she kept typing furiously.

"Sugar you can bet your life on it, Emily said she was glad she had an escape route or else JJ may have attacked her. By the way, that's a big fat zilch. Nothing on janitors or custodial workers. Sorry baby cakes."

"No problem, mama. Thanks!"

Garcia closed the call with Morgan sighing loudly. It wasn't often that the team went undercover. She knew that her girl had a thing for Dr. Reid for a long time, and now was a perfect time for them to get together.

"Now to give Dr. Reid a proper high school experience" She said to herself mischeiviously.

"Hmm," she said, rubbing her hands together quickly "I think that Spencer is in a band...Ooo, and JJ used to be a cheerleader!"

* * *

Spencer Reid wasn't sure how he had done it. Somehow, this must be an alternate universe or another dimension, because for some reason he had become_ popular_. Sitting down in the front of his physics class, dozens of girls, and some older boys, came and introduced themselves. One boy, Dan, seemed to declare Reid his best friend and sat next to him talking to him throughout the entire class.

"Dude, you're in a band! That's so cool!" Dan looked at him admiringly.

"Umm, I don't know what you mean."

"Dude, don't be modest, I checked your myspace and facebook on my iphone. You're so cool! The guitar? Awesome!"

The teacher, frustrated, had stopped the class without Reid or the boy knowing.

"Dan, would you like to tell the class the answer to this problem?" The teacher asked to the boys in the front row.

"Uh, no. Sorry" The boy replied sheepishly.

"Spencer?"

"Sure." Reid looked at the problem. They were attempting to find out the time it would take for a bouncy ball to travel 30 meters at 2 meters/second. Reid contemplated for a millisecond before, "17.2 seconds"

"No, sorry Spencer, that isn't the right answer." The teacher answered dismissively, attempting to call on someone else.

"What do you mean 'that isn't the right answer'?" Spencer interrupted angrily.

"The correct answer is 15 seconds, you simply take the equation and solve for velocity and..." The teacher began to explain condescendingly.

"No! I am not wrong! It's 17.2 seconds." Reid ran up to the board, writing furiously and muttering "the density of a bouncy ball is approximately..." and "with wind resistance, there would be a drag of..." as he did the calculations.

"See. 17.2 seconds. There's no way a ball would actually only take 15 seconds because of wind resistance, density, gravity, and tons of other factors. Based on the information given it would take 2.2 seconds longer." Reid finished proudly.

The teacher stood back, dumbfounded. "Where did you learn all of that? From your last school?"

_Uh-oh_ Reid thought to himself. He wasn't supposed to blow his cover over something as stupid as a physics question.

"Wikipedia." Reid finished quickly as the class laughed.

The teacher angrily sent Reid to detention, grumpily saying that he was a smart mouth and not to come back to his class until he was 'ready to learn.'

* * *

AN/So, what'd you think?


	4. Chapter 4

AN/ Thanks to everybody that reviewed! It just makes me want to write sooner and faster. Sorry it's been a while, I just wanted to make sure everything was perfect.

* * *

JJ was anxiously watching the clock, waiting for the last class of the day when the girl that sat next to her leaned in to talk.

"Sorry, Mr. Hayes is really boring."

"Don't worry about it. I've been in tons of situations where people drone on about things when I have no idea what they're talking about." JJ said, smirking to herself, thinking of all of the times her team would begin spouting off profiling jargon while she and the police officers would wait for them to stop and explain.

"You're Becca's friend, right?" The girl asked and as JJ nodded continuing to take notes on the fundamentals of Latin.

"I'm Allie. I always give Becca a ride home so she doesn't have to go with her brother. Come with us." The girl offered.

"Ok, sure." JJ said smiling-at least she wouldn't have to take the bus.

* * *

"So, Reid, how was jewelry making? Make any good necklaces?" Rossi teased as Reid entered the car.

"Funny. I didn't know that torture was acceptable. Apparently you all find it hilarious" Reid pouted, buckling the safety belt as they drove back to their house.

"Oh, how bad can high school be?" Rossi teased.

"I had 16 year old girls staring at me all day like I had something stuck in my teeth!" Reid moaned

"Well, what do you expect?" Rossi asked chuckling, "I mean, you're an ok looking new kid. Of course they were staring."

"The only redeeming part of the day was when JJ and I got to have lunch together--at least she's someone to talk to." He continued as though Rossi had never spoken while Rossi raised an eyebrow at Reid's comment.

"Reid, you can't date 15 year olds. I'm sorry, I know you've always envied Morgan's player status, but this is no place to level the playing field."

"What?" Reid asked incredulously, his voice cracking to an all time high. "I do not envy--"

"Look kid, I've seen the way you've looked at JJ since my first day here. You like the girl, right?"

"Umm, she's my friend. I mean, we decided as colleagues that we were friends--professional friends, so I think its even more like an acquaintance really, or maybe even a distant---" He began nervously.

"Just stop. Reid, when a guy likes a girl, he'll ask her on a date."

"JJ and I went on a date. Like 3 years ago. I told her I just wanted to be friends."

"Now why would you do something stupid like that?" Rossi asked without looking at him.

"Because I know that's what she wanted. I mean, I'm a profiler, I read behavior."

"Look, you may 'read behavior', but you won't have any clue what's going on in a woman's mind unless she tells you. Women are way more complicated than a serial killer."

"Well, JJ and I went on a date and nothing happened."

"Kid, you took her to a game and then dropped her off at home. That is not a date. A date is you take her out to dinner. You surprise her with something. Then you walk her to the door, and from there---"

Reid interrupted Rossi quickly, "No offense Rossi, but I'd really rather not have this discussion with you. I have read everything you are talking about in the books my mother gave me."

"Reid, what kind of books?"

"Classic German Romance Novels." Reid answered as though it were completely obvious.

"No." Rossi said definitely. "Listen, you will ask JJ out on a date, or else your entire time in this undercover operation will be spent fending off 16 year old girls with raging hormones. The best thing you can do for yourself is to go after the girl you really want."

* * *

"Hey, so I checked your myspace during class. How romantic!" Becca interrupted JJ's visions of exacting revenge on her ex-best friend for the day she had just experienced.

"Yeah, and your boyfriend is so hot! If you weren't dating him, I'm sure half the girls in the school would be after him." Allie agreed.

"I bet some of them already are. But you two look so sweet together!" Becca added.

"What are you talking about?" JJ asked from the backseat of Allie's car, completely confused.

"You know all those pics you have on your profile. That's so cool how he asked you to the dance and how you used to be a cheerleader. Do you have a dress yet?" Becca explained, offering her phone as evidence.

JJ had no idea what these girls were even talking about. Myspace? Looking quizzically at Becca's iphone she saw the offending webpage, complete with blog updates of how 'in love' she and Spence were and how he had asked her to the formal dance coming up in a week. The page looked like that of a teenage girl, and was filled with some real and other obviously photo shopped pictures of her and Spence.

"Garcia." She muttered, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Huh?" The girls in the front asked in unison.

"Um, no. I haven't gotten my dress for the dance. I don't really know where to go, probably to a place back where I'm from." JJ stuttered, suddenly remembering she was supposed to make sure these girls believed she was in high school.

"Hey, why don't we go now? I've got to pick up my dress, and we can show you around!" Allie planned excitedly.

"Erm, I don't know. I'll have to ask my parents, they're kind of weird about all of that stuff." JJ attempted to dismiss the offer from the girls. As if high school wasn't bad enough, but now she had to go to a dance? Maybe she could convince Emily or Hotch to let her skip out on the dance, but she had a sneaking suspicion that Hotch would insist they do everything possible to solidify their covers and that Emily was involved in this whole mess.

It wasn't as though JJ hated the time she got to spend with Reid, or even that the prospect of going to a dance with him was such a bad idea. After all, _he_ had been the one 3 years ago to say that they should just be friends, and as much as she hoped that would change, he didn't seem to care. So she had dated, and he hadn't.

"So, JJ, how was class?" Emily smirked as she looked up from her laptop seeing JJ with two other teenage girls.

"Terrible! I've got an insane amount of homework, but this is Allie and you've met Becca." JJ dropped her bag on the floor and introduced the girls at her side.

"Hi Mrs. Hotchner, we wanted to take JJ to go get a dress for the dance!" Becca blurted out.

"You're going to a dance?" Emily asked pretending (but not very well) to be confused.

"Erm, only if that's ok. Spencer asked me. But if I _can't_ go, I'll just let him know now." JJ attempted to send a subtle message to Emily, but only received a "I think that's an excellent idea. I'm sure it's ok, but why don't we all go tomorrow?" in response.

The two younger girls quickly began to plan tomorrow's adventure and completely missed JJ's death glare directed at Emily, who simply chuckled. _So she is involved in this! _JJ thought in disbelief. Unbeknownst to JJ, the entire team was hoping she and Reid would just get together already. Emily was not about to let this carefully planned opportunity go to waste. However, there was still a case to solve, and they had scheduled a briefing for later that night.

* * *

"JJ, you do realize that you are supposed to be failing? Right?" Emily laughed as JJ searched diligently through her physics book for an explanation of how to do her current homework problem. Becca and Allie had left soon after dropping JJ off and checking out her room. JJ had now resigned herself to homework.

JJ glared at Emily and threatened, "You know, you're the one who got me into this situation, so I'd watch my back if I were you. I know where you sleep."

"You know, JJ, at first I didn't believe Prentiss that you could pull this off. But now, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were 16 myself." Hotch and Emily laughed as JJ glared at them and were only disrupted by Emily's phone.

"Hey Garcia." Emily laughed into the phone.

"Yeah, I think JJ found out what myspace is."

"Ok, we'll be there." JJ and Hotched listened to the one-sided conversation intently, hoping that some break had been discovered in the case.

"That was Garcia--we're going to meet up with Rossi, Reid and Morgan at a local diner. She's arranged for a private room so we can go over the case files." Emily explained.

* * *

"So Reid, detention twice in one day? Wow! Good job. JJ, you've got competition now." The other profilers grinned as Emily teased the youngest team members, knowing how JJ did not take kindly to competition.

"Yeah, maybe they'll fight it out on the dance floor." Morgan added as the team (except for JJ and Reid) burst into laughter.

They sat eating burgers and various other items, Reid excused himself to go to the restroom while the team continued mercilessly teasing JJ. As he returned, the team overheard a high voice say "Hey Spencer. You're in my gym class. You did really well today. Maybe we can go out sometime." The team sat in shock as this blonde flirted mercilessly with Reid.

"Um, yeah. Maybe." Reid stuttered unsurely leaving the girl to watch him from behind as he returned to his teammates who stared at him with large eyes.

"Reid, I totally don't think you should be going out with these kids. You're like 10 years older than them. That's just gross. Next time use JJ for an excuse--say she's your girlfriend or something." Morgan said disgustedly as JJ and Reid both blushed at the suggestion.

"Ok, let's get back to the case." Hotch attempted to refocus his team. "Do we have any new leads?"

Morgan spoke up, "Garcia found something. Three students at Midland Academy either have relatives or have lived in all 5 areas, two of them moving within two weeks of the murders. None have connections that she could find to the victims."

"Well, that's got to be something. How many times can these kids move?" Rossi asked

"You'd be surprised." Morgan responded. "Most of these kid's parents have jobs that transfer them all over the country."

"Well, I think JJ and Reid's involvement is even more important now. What can we do to solidify your cover?" Hotch asked the younger agents authoritatively.

"They could go on a date." Morgan said jokingly, and at Hotch's surprised look continued "Garcia set them up with social networking profiles and hinted that they were dating. Having them out on a date would just make it more believable." Morgan raised his eyebrows suggestively at Reid, causing the younger man to blush even more furiously.

"We also can't forget our objective-we need to get into that seminar." Rossi pointed out

"Agreed. Tonight, Reid, take JJ on a date."


	5. Chapter 5

**_AN/ Sorry, this took a while to update. I still don't own Criminal Minds. Also, I don't drink, so any inaccuracies in this chapter should be overlooked. Thanks!_**

"Hey, have you noticed how Hotch is taking this undercover thing way too seriously?" JJ asked Reid over her milkshake. After Hotch had ordered their date, it had taken little to get the youngest teammates away from their friend's constant teasing.

"You think?" Reid's voice squesaked as he took another bite of his chili cheese burger, "When I stopped by your house to pick you up, I thought I was meeting your dad for real."

JJ giggled at the thought of Spence meeting her family, most particularly her dad, and it seemed all too similar to the 'meeting' he had with Hotch an hour ago. "He told me I should clean my room--I almost thought I was back at home for a second." She added as he chuckled.

"You know, I can't wait until this assignment is over and we can get back at Garcia." Reid continued thoughtfully.

"Oh, she's not the only one involved in this whole mess." JJ insinuated

"What do you mean?"

"Just that I know that Emily is involved, and I would wager that Morgan is in this as much as the rest of them. Face it Dr. Reid, we've been set up."

"Well, what should we do to them?"

"Oh, I have my ideas, but I was wondering if you wanted to give any input." JJ wickedly suggested.

"Hmm." Reid was thoughtful for a moment, "Oh! I know, we can take their coffee when they aren't looking, and then we can--"

"Wait, I thought you were supposed to be the Super Genius?" JJ interrupted jokingly.

"What?"

"Never mind. Why don't you leave the devious plotting up to me, and I'll let you know when you can help." JJ laughed.

Honestly, if JJ were to think about it, this date with Spence was probably the most fun she'd had in a long time. Whenever she was around Spence, she felt...comfortable. As though she didn't have to pretend that she had it all together. It was why she was good at her job, her ability to appear flawless and controlled. But, when she was with this awkward genius, she felt oddly free. Not that it would take too much for her to admit this, but she knew that Spence tended to be a lot more careful.

They had spent the early evening hours minigolfing. It had taken far too long to discover what high school students would do on a date. Prentiss and Morgan had offered their 'advice' (which quickly went unheeded). Finally it was Rossi who suggested minigolf and burgers, saying that public exposure was what their covers needed.

"I agree with you though, I can't wait to get them all back for this, 'cause you know that Garcia has tried to make this as bad as possible." JJ agreed with Reid's earlier statement.

"Hey, you don't have to deal with Rossi. You know, since I don't have any of my regular stuff on me, I had to ask him for money for our date?" Reid countered, causing JJ to nearly choke on her soda.

"Really? That's aweful!" She laughed, "But, I have to go pick out a dress for the dance. Beat that!" She commanded.

"We had to drive Rossi's car on our date. Try asking Rossi to borrow the car. Not a pleasant experience!" Reid laughed.

"Well at least you don't have to deal with Emily _and_ Hotch when you get home. I swear! If those two ever got together, the world would end." JJ and Reid laughed loudly.

"No, I still win. Rossi almost gave me 'the talk' this afternoon." Reid attempted to best her.

"'The talk'?" JJ asked, feigning innocence, "what do you mean by that?" JJ laughed as Spence's cheeks turned a dark crimson.

"Yeah, well--" they were interrupted by Dan who called Reid's name loudly.

"Hey man! Are you guys going to the party tonight! It should be totally awesome!" Dan chattered excitedly.

"Uh, party?" Reid asked nervously.

"Yeah, Brady Dockson's at 9:00. His dad bought a couple of kegs! It's gonna be awesome!" Dan added.

"Yeah we'll be there." JJ responded quickly before Reid could ask,

"His dad bought him beer? Did you know that 17% of alcoholics start drinking before the age of---" Seeing the death glare that JJ was sending him, he stopped and then added "I mean, that's so cool!"

The boy left quickly after getting his double bacon burger, leaving the two seasoned FBI agents alone once more.

"So, tell me exactly why we're going to this party?" Reid asked once everyone was out of earshot.

"Because, genius, we're supposed to be _rebellious_ youth." She said jokingly

Reid was curious as to what would happen at this so called 'party'. The last 'party' he had attended in his childhood was his cousins bar mitzvah. He was fairly certain that this would not be the same at all.

* * *

"So, you sent JJ and Reid on a date." Prentiss attempted to strike up conversation with Hotch who was busy looking over case files.

"Yeah," Hotch said, not listening to Prentiss.

"It seems a little unnecessary." Prentiss pointed out.

Hotch looked up at the brunette, a small smirk glancing his lips and a twinkle in his eye, "someone has to get the ball rolling in that relationship."

Emily nearly choked on her water that she had been drinking. Was he joking?

Looking back down at the casefile, Hotch refocused on the task at hand.

"Look at these marks on the last victims." Hotch pulled the picture out and showed Prentiss the small marks along the ankles of their latest victims.

"Lacerations?"

"I think the unsub knew these victims differently than the others. None of the others had these marks on their wrists as though they were restrained. Have Garcia check into the latest victims--they may be our key."

* * *

JJ winced at the loud music that was blaring in her ears. She was honestly surprised at the level of alcohol and loud music that was present at this party. The last wild party she had been to was when she was in college, and...well...suffice it to say she could definitely have been classified as a party girl (at least when it wasn't soccer season). At least in the nineties there was good music. This just seemed to be an offensive assault on her ears. Realizing her last thoughts, she thought to herself _'now I really feel old'_.

Reid on the other hand was astounded. This was a new experience--something he had never seen before. Not in his wildest imagination could something he had read even come close to the euphoria in the atmosphere. So many people! Sure he had been to bars and drinking, but when he was in high school and college, he had been in his early teens. To be invited and accepted at a party---it was just so exciting!

"Wow!" Reid said breathlessly.

"WHAT?!" JJ had to shout over the music.

"I'm going to get a drink." Reid said, not loudly enough. JJ nodded absently, seeing Becca across the room and deciding that maintaining the cover would be the best use of time.

"Hey Spencer! You've got to try this!" Dan practically threw a cup of jello into his hands.

"Jello?" Reid asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, its so good!" Dan, on seeing Reid's doubtful expression added, "Don't worry. There's nothing bad in there." Dan smiled as Reid downed the cup, and grabbed for another one.

"These are good! Did you know that some people will use alcohol instead of water in making the jello?" Reid asked before downing his next jello shot as Dan smirked.

JJ had enough! After her fun, but uneventful, date with Spence, this party seemed like a chore. She listened inattentively as Becca chatted on about some random thing--how her family had moved around a lot, or something like that--and suddenly searched the room for Spence. She hadn't seen him in about a half hour. _Where did he go? _She thought to herself. Enlisting the help of Becca she began searching for the genius among the crowd of teenagers.

It took only 5 minutes to find him. Surrounded by chanting teens, he was apparently in a contest to see how many jello shots he could down in a minute. Apparently he was doing well, because at the end of the time he raised his arms triumphantly.

"I win!" He said, practically tipping over as JJ ran and put her arm around his waist to steady him.

"Yeah, looks like somebody had too much to drink."

"No. I didn't _drink_ anything." He smiled, slurring his words.

"Reid, you know that those were _alcoholic_, right?" She smiled as he looked at her confused.

"No! But, they were good. Dan said there wasn't anything in them."

"Spence, haven't you ever been to a party before?" She asked exasperated, although on greater reflection she already knew the answer to her question.

"Why don't I get you home." She laughed to herself as he slurred his words. Only Spence would be such a gentleman when he was absolutely wasted. Who would have thought that she would get to see Spencer Reid plastered!

Walking out to the car seemed more difficult than she had anticipated. Sure she had helped countless friends back to their cars after late night parties, but she had seldom been the designated driver. Reid's tall gangly stature made it even more difficult. While trying to leave the party, he had bumped into practically every person that stood within 5 feet of them--spilling beer, water, and who knows what, all over JJ and anything remotely close. Reid fumbled in his pockets for the keys, finally coming up with the desired item.

"Found em" He smiled at himself happily.

"Yep. You did. Now move over, I'm driving." JJ stole the keys from his hands, as he looked at her surprised.

"You're pretty."

Smiling, she tried to stuff him in the car. "You're drunk."

"No. I love you." His slurred words caused her heart to jump ever so slightly. Sure he was drunk and she probably couldn't trust what he'd say, but--if he had feelings for her, then maybe one day there could be more.

"You just say that 'cause I'm your ride home." She teased, attempting to laugh it off, although a small portion of her desperately wanted to believe that he was telling the truth.

"I only told you I wanted to be friends before because you're too pretty. I love you." He hiccuped as she closed the door and moved around the car into the drivers seat.

"Spence, you tell me that when you're not sloshed and maybe we can really date." She turned to look at him, only to find his face mere inches away from hers. He quickly closed the gap, kissing her hard. Years of anticipation had welled up inside of JJ to the point that she could barely stand it anymore--wanting to kiss him so badly--but she pulled away. If this was going to happen, it wasn't going to be when he was as drunk as a post.

"We'll talk about this tomorrow." She said, starting the car.

Spence quickly fell asleep in Rossi's nice Lexus. _Even his cover car was nice _she mused as she drove Reid back to the house he was sharing with Rossi. Rossi would have to drop her off tonight or tomorrow morning, because there was no way that Reid could drive. She was deep in thought as the flashing blue and red lights beamed from behind her.

Pulling over quickly, the officer then approached her vehicle. "Can I get your license and registration?"

She quickly handed him the appropriate paperwork, and pointed out to the officer "I wasn't speeding."

"Routine Stop." He told her without looking, then questioningly flashed his light in the car, "Have you been drinking tonight Miss?"

"No." She responded increduously, then remembering her passenger guestured to Reid and said "He did, but he couldn't drive home, so I drove him."

"Jennifer," He continued authoritatively, looking down at her license, "I need you to step out of the vehicle."

"Why?" She responded. Normally she would have put this cop in his place. After all, she had plenty of experience working with cops and she had certainly talked her way out of plenty of speeding tickets. Now, however, was not the time.

"Jennifer, you do realize that you only have a driving permit, don't you? This means that you can only drive with a passenger over the age of 21. I smell alcohol in your car, and since you and your 'friend' are obviously underage, you're going to have to come down to the station with me so we can call your parents."

"You've got to be kidding me." JJ looked at the office increduously.

"Miss, we take underage drinking here very seriously. I am certainly _not_ kidding you. Please step out of the vehicle."


	6. Chapter 6

**_AN/ Thanks to everybody that reviewed! It just makes me want to write sooner and faster!_**

Hotch was jerked from his peaceful slumber as the house phone rang loudly. Knowing that Prentiss was a light sleeper, and hoping that the phone didn't wake her in the next room, he quickly answered.

"Hello" His voice was thick from sleep.

_"Mr. Hotchner, this is Officer Thompson from the Polk County Police Department. I need you to come down to the station, it's about your daughter."_

"What happened?" Hotch asked worried. If JJ and Reid had gotten into some kind of accident and were hurt, then he could never forgive himself. Looking at the clock next to his bed, he realized that it was 2:00 am.

_"She and a young man were pulled over for a routine stop and we discovered they had been drinking."_ The officer refused to ellaborate any further.

Worry changed quickly to anger. Yes, JJ and Reid were assigned to get into trouble. Yes, they were supposed to be teenagers, but they weren't supposed to be stupid! They weren't supposed to do anything illegal--putting other people's lives in danger--this was unacceptable.

"We'll be right there." He angrily shut the phone and quickly changed, he was about to knock sharply on Prentiss' door when she opened it and joined him in the hall, ready to go.

"What happened?" She asked trying to keep the sound of sleep from her voice.

"JJ's been arrested."

* * *

Rossi angrily answered the phone that seemed to ring endlessly.

"What?" He asked angrily, knowing that there was no way it was JJ calling them for a case at 2 in the morning.

_"Mr. Rossi, this is Officer Thompson from the Polk County Police Department."_

"So?" Rossi asked abrubtly.

_"I'm sorry. Your nephew Spencer is here, we need you to come down to the station and pick him up."_

"Is he hurt?"

_"Well, no sir--"_

"Well then he can walk home for all I care, I'm sleeping!" Rossi hung up the phone and shifted to quickly fall back asleep.

* * *

It was about an hour later when Prentiss and Hotch showed up to the police precinct to talk with the arresting officer.

"Hotch, you know you're going to have to freak out at JJ, right?" Prentiss asked as they walked up the stairs and he looked at her quizzically.

"My dad was an attorney--he would have flipped out if I got in trouble. You're going to have to put on a show." She promised as Officer Thompson approached them.

"Aaron and Emily Hotchner?"

Hotch's jaw clenched tightly, which the officer took for anger. "Yes. Where is she?" He responded shortly.

"I know you're upset sir, but she's in here." The officer said, pointing to an interrogation room.

"What are the charges?" Hotch asked, angrily. Truthfully it was exactly what JJ needed to do to get into that seminar, but he couldn't act like it was a good thing in front of the officer-- and he was still fairly angry at the youngest members of his team for endangering the lives of others.

"Underage driving. Breaking curfew. Both are really just citations. She didn't actually drink, but we've got her friend for underage drinking--but we haven't filed charges yet." Hotch's initial anger at JJ and Reid quickly dissapated as he realized they hadn't actually put anyone in danger.

"Why?" Emily asked.

"Well, when your daughter told me you were a prosecutor I figured I'd give you a call instead. We can cut her a break this time as a professional courtesy. I brought her down here in cuffs and in the back of the car to scare her. Looking up her record she seems like a good kid, I figured an hour in an interrogation room would be scary enough to keep her on the straight and narrow." The officer looked at them smugly as though he were doing them a favor, opening the door to the interrogation room.

"Let us talk for a moment." Hotch said to the officer shortly as he and Prentiss walked into the room, shutting the door quickly behind them, but not before a "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING---" could be heard before the door firmly latched shut.

"Oh man, that girl is going to get it." The officer said to his partner.

Careful to make sure that the officers outside overheard him yell, Hotch now quickly changed the volume of his voice.

"Nice of you to come and join me." JJ joked as Hotch and Emily sat across from her at the interrogation table.

"What happened?" Emily asked.

"We ran into one of Spence's friend at the diner and he invited us to a party. Reid apparently has never been to a party before and doesn't know not to drink stuff you don't make yourself, and is now drunker than Garcia on St. Patrick's day." The three laughed quickly.

"So, how is Reid?" Hotch asked

"Before or after he threw up in the back of the police car?" JJ smirked. "I heard the officer tell him that Rossi wasn't going to come get him--which doesn't surprise me at all. That man hates to be woken up late at night--I would know since I have to do it all the time."

"Well, how do we want to play this?" Emily asked. "I mean, do we play the protective parent that ensures she gets off, or the hardnose parent that insists she be punished?"

Hotch thoughtfully rubbed his chin. "Playing the strict parents would get your record growing faster, we could insist that he charges you with everything possible. It would also give you a chance to play the 'teenage rebellion' card with the counselor, which is likely to get you in. Or we can get you off which would make it seem as though we are teaching you that decisions don't have consequences, which would likely appeal to the unsub."

"Personally, I think Hotch would have a tough time playing the doting father---so why don't we go with the strict parents." JJ suggested as Emily nodded.

"Why don't you think I can play the doting father?" Hotch asked sincerely causing the two women to laugh.

"Hotch, aren't you a profiler? Why don't you figure it out." Emily advised.

"Ok, fine, I get your point."

"Hey, not saying that I'm not having a blast here, but I'm exhausted. Why don't you get me out of here?" JJ suggested.

Hotch smiled and nodded, exiting the room and hurridly finding the officer. "Officer Thompson, I need to speak with you." The officer looked at him, trying not to look afraid. Hotch chuckled inwardly but kept his face impassive. "I make a living making sure people face the consequences of their decisions. I cannot in good conscience allow you to teach my daughter a lesson contrary to that. I'm sure you understand."

"Uh, sure. I'll get the paperwork, and you all can go in a minute." Officer Thompson attempted to scamper away quickly.

"Officer, what happened to the young man she was with?" Hotch asked, pretending to be angry.

"Oh, I had an officer drive him home. We couldn't just leave him here."

* * *

Spencer Reid awoke the next morning feeling as though he had been run over by a steam roller. His head throbbed and the taste of vomit in his mouth was nearly unbearable. Not remembering where he was, it took him a few moments to realize he was laying on the couch in the front room of the house he and Rossi were sharing. He vaguely remembered an officer helping him open the door, but the entire night previous was a complete blur. Sighing, he rolled over so that he burrowed further into the couch, content in hiding from the rest of the world and slipping into unconsciousness. His brilliant plan, however, was foiled by the loudly ringing device in his pocket.

Desperate to silence the device that seemed like a jackhammer, he answered "Urfhmmm"

"I take that to be a hello, so hello to you Mr. Party Animal!" Garcia's animated voice greeted him on the other end.

"Go away." He moaned.

"No, Rip Van Winkle, it's time for you to get up. Don't you remember? You have to go to school!" Garcia practically sang to him.

_I hate my life. _Spencer thought to himself getting up carefully, deciding that a shower and an extra large cup of coffee with plenty of sugar might just get rid of the terrible headache.

* * *

**_AN/Any suggestions or ideas are more than welcome. I've liked writing this story, but I also love the reviews!_**


	7. Chapter 7

**_AN/ Thanks to everybody that reviewed! I'm glad to know people like the story._**

"Ok, Sweet Cheeks, we have to talk." Garcia said seriously after recovering from her fit of laughter. She had just called Reid back after a few hours, having convinced him to go to school on a Saturday. Reid was angrily walking back to the house he and Rossi shared when his 'friend' had called to gloat.

"Talk about what?" Reid asked grumpily, "How you made me wake up _Rossi_ for a ride to school? Or how only after he left did I realize that it is a _SATURDAY MORNING! _It's like a mile back to the house and Rossi said he won't come back to get me._"_

"Oh, don't get your mismatched socks in a bunch. You have an eidedic memory, certainly you looked at a calendar recently."

"GARCIA! You normally don't think about stuff like that when you've---"

"Hey, don't get snappy with me Sweet Cakes. I really did call to talk to you about something."

"Fine. What?"

"Oh, I don't know, what about your love confession to a certain blonde bombshell? Or maybe the kiss that you planted smack on her lips? Or the fact that a certain friend of mine just told me that she thinks you're cute when you're drunk? Take your pick."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"How trashed were you Reid? I mean, I can see Morgan forgetting some of this stuff, but _you_? I mean, you kissed _JJ_! I would think you'd remember that!"

Suddenly the images from last night seemed to flash in front of him. "No," he moaned, "she probably thinks I'm a moron!"

"Quite the contrary my pupil of love. For some reason unknown to the rest of the world, our resident liason--who by the way seems to always have an unending supply of hunky police officers knocking at her door--was only bummed by the fact that it took a high alcohol level to finally get your groove on and kiss her."

"Trust me Garcia, I'm pretty sure there was no 'grooving' involved."

"Oh, you shouldn't bet on that. I have a pretty reliable, and sober, source that says otherwise." Garcia smiled into the phone.

"What do I do? Should I tell her I'm sorry?" Reid asked embarrassed. He would be lying if he said that he had never thought of kissing JJ before, but he certainly hadn't envisioned doing it while he was discovering the joys of jello.

"NO! She'd probably destroy my computers in front of me if she found out I was telling you all of this. Just take it as a chance to 'test the waters'." Garcia advised.

"Garcia--"

"No, Reid. Make no mistake about this. You break my girl's heart and I will _destroy_ you." She said with a strangely sadistic tone. "If at the end of this my girl is broken hearted, there will not be a hole deep enough for you to hide from me."

* * *

JJ was trying to discover if there was any way to kill yourself with a dress, or a plastic hanger. She had been stuck dress shopping with Emily, Allie, and Becca, for the last hour. Normally, she would have been able to spend an entire week in a mall without breaking a sweat, but after getting absolutely _no_ sleep last night--and then being forced to pick out a dress for a high school dance, it was a little too torturous.

"JJ, do you need help in there?" Allie asked as Emily listened to Becca drone on about a subject no one cared about.

"No, I think I like this one the best. Let's just get it."

"No, you know the drill, you've got to come and show us." The younger girls squealed as JJ exited the dressing room in a too small gown.

"WOW! You totally have to try on this one now." Allie threw another dress full of sequins at her. Emily took this chance to extract herself from the chattering teenager and join JJ in the dressing room.

"JJ, you are not going to ruin this for me."

"What do you mean?"

"I never got to go to my high school Prom. I am now living vicariously through you." Emily said smugly.

"Emily, it's just a stupid dance, I've been to plenty--

"No, I either lived in a country where I didn't speak the language or we moved before it was Prom--my _entire_ high school existence." Emily pouted, knowing her friend hated making people rehash painful memories.

"Wait, don't you speak like 16 different languages?"

"That's beside the point, _this is important_!

"Fine. I'm just a good friend. Did you never really go to PROM?"

"No. And, I like to make fun of you, and this totally lets me." Emily said impishly.

"You know these dresses are heineous, right?" JJ sighed.

* * *

"So how was dress shopping?" Morgan teased. The team was gathered around the dining room table of Rossi & Reid's house, once again briefing on anything new.

"Oh, you just wait until this is over, and I will like totally like make you suffer with a passion." JJ threatened.

"JJ, how many times did you just use the word like?" Morgan pointed out as JJ's eyes widened and her hand unconsciously covered her mouth.

"Hotch, we may need to get her out of there. She's starting to sound like a teenager." Emily feigned concern.

"Oh, you two are just a riot." JJ rolled her eyes at her plotting teammates.

"Ok, Garcia, what do you have for us?" Hotch asked, refocusing the team on their task.

"Well, you asked me to check for only children that have lived in the area and are now attending Midland or a surrounding school. Like I said before, I've got a big fat zilch."

"Do I sense a 'but' in there mama?" Morgan prodded.

"Only if it's yours, in which case I will go grab my dollar bills and you can give me a show, my big chocolate easter bunny." The team laughed loudly as Morgan ever so slightly blushed. "No. Actually yes, I decided to look for larger families with students attending Midland. As of that, we've got two families with teenagers that have lived in all of the areas, and one family with a teenager and an elementary school age kid. I've sent the info to your handhelds."

"The Johnsons, The Solielises, and The Graves." Hotch read from his PDA.

"You know, Nate Johnson has a rap for being kind of a wild kid." Reid informed the group.

"Reid, are you honestly listening to high school gossip?" Rossi asked as Reid blushed.

Hotch's cell interrupted the conference and the team listened to the one sided conversation intently. "Aaron Hotchner. Yes. What time? Thank you." He quickly shut the phone and smiled to the team, "That was the school counselor. He wanted to inform me of a seminar that he'd like to send JJ to."


	8. Chapter 8

"Gross." Emily whispered as she, Hotch, and JJ passed a teenage couple making out in the halls on their way to meet with JJ's counselor.

"Oh, come on Em." JJ teased, "We all know that you've gone a lot further in public, like with that Lance in Austria."

"Hey! I told you that in confidence!" Emily said dismayed, uncomfortable at this revelation in front of her boss.

"All's fair in love and war." JJ said sweetly.

"Yeah, well they are like 16. It's just gross." Emily couldn't help but stare at the teen's embrace.

"Welcome to my life."

Hotch cleared his throat, reminding the women of his presence, who quickly stopped their conversation.

* * *

"Mr. Blakely, it's a pleasure to meet you. We didn't get a chance last time." Hotch said authoritatively as they sat in the counseling office. JJ for her part attempted to ignore the entire conversation.

"Mr. Hotchner, I'm sorry it has to be under these circumstances." The guidance counselor glared at JJ, whose cheeks involuntarily turned pink.

"Mr. Blakely, you seemed to know the situation incredibly quickly." Emily pointed out.

"My brother is on the force, when students get picked up he gives me a call immediately." The counselor dismissed, obviously upset that one of his students had gotten in trouble. "_Breaking curfew_?" He asked JJ increduously.

"What about the boy she was with, he was drinking." Hotch supplied

"Everybody drinks." The counselor dismissed earning surprised looks from Emily and Hotch. This guy obviously had his priorities out of wack.

"Well, the reason I called you all in here is that Jennifer is one very smart young lady. Looking at her current grades, she is one of our top students even with such difficult classes." JJ struggled not to beam at the counselor's revelation, as he continued, "but, if she wants to get into college, these _problems_ may dissuade top universities from accepting her."

"We are aware of that." Hotch replied shortly.

"Well, there is a seminar that comes around once every two years for _troubled teens_. It's a week long seminar for student and parents that teaches life skills, addresses problem behavior, and encourages communication between student and parents. I am recommending Jennifer for this seminar, and if you choose to attend then her record will be expunged."

"Let's do it."

* * *

"Hey, JJ, can I talk to you." Reid asked as he saw JJ come out of the guidance counselor's office with Hotch and Emily. She nodded to the others, who smiled and left.

"Yeah Spence, what's up?" JJ smiled at how adorable he looked when he was nervous. She loved the way that he would unconsciously play with his hair when he was about to say or do something that scared him.

"It's about what happened that night."

"Don't worry about it. You were drunk, you probably don't even remember." JJ dismissed, ignoring the pit at the bottom of her stomach.

"No. I mean, yeah. I mean--"

"Spence, look, it's fine. We're both adults, things happen." JJ attempted to smile, but couldn't help but acknowledge the growing ache that came from dismissing what had happened.

"No. JJ, I've liked you for a long time, and it--" Reid was cut off by JJ throwing her arms around his neck and pulling his tall frame down close to hers as she kissed his lips hungrily.

"Wow!" Reid finally said after breaking apart for air.

"I've wanted to do that for a long time." JJ admitted as Reid pulled her in for more. They seemed to melt into eachother, knowing that what this expressed was far more important than what they could say with words.

"Ahem." This time they were broken apart by a teacher that tapped Reid on the shoulder. "Get to class." Mr. Hayes glared at Reid. "Miss Hotchner, let's go talk to the counselor." JJ groaned.

* * *

Spencer Reid sat nervously in Sports History thinking of the events that had transpired the past couple of hours. _She kissed me!_ He thought excitedly, hoping that Garcia had been right.

"Ok, students. Please open your books and turn to chapter 7. You have 20 minutes and we'll discuss it." The teacher commanded.

Reid quickly flipped through the designated chapter and continued to think of JJ. _Everything that JJ has gotten in trouble for has been my fault. _He frowned, not sure how he felt about that.

"Spencer! Why aren't you reading the chapter?" Miss Jorge asked angrily.

"I finished it." He said dismissively.

"Well, what led to the devleopment of basketball?"

"Dr. James Naismith, a professor of physical education was attempting to find a way to keep his player's conditioned in the winter time, so he--"

"Enough!" The teacher said exasperated as the class chuckled silently. "Spencer Reid just go to detention!"

* * *

"Miss Hotchner! You leave my office with your parents and you come _right back_!" Mr. Blakely asked increduously. "You were kissing a _boy! _Jennifer, do you realize that you could be throwing your future away _for a boy!_"

JJ sat silently debating how to respond. Deciding the best course of action, she eventually shrugged.

"Jennifer, talk to me." The counselor looked at JJ pleadingly.

"I don't know what you want me to say." JJ answered failing to look up at him. _If I draw this out long enough, maybe I won't have to go to class_. She thought excitedly.

"Jennifer, I don't_ want_ you to say anything. I want you to tell me what's going on." He pleaded.

JJ sighed deeply, spurring the counselor to continue. "You owe it to yourself to do everything possible to make a future for yourself. Do you honestly think that breaking curfew and making out with a boy is going to get you anywhere?"

"Maybe" JJ smiled coyly, thinking of the possibility of a future with Spence.

"NO! There is no future if you keep throwing everything away! This is why this conference is going to help you, it will show you that rules are out there to help you."

"Maybe I'm sick of rules, maybe I want to be reckless." JJ mused to herself, unaware that she spoke her feelings aloud.

The counselor sat back, shocked--but not surprised. He figured that an over authoritative parent, coupled with a new step mother was the likely cause of Jennifer's acting out. He just couldn't let a girl with so much promise fall through the cracks.

"Jennifer, why don't you get to class, I'm going to call your parents."

* * *

**_AN/Any suggestions or ideas are more than welcome. I've liked writing this story, but I also love the reviews!_**


	9. Chapter 9

**_AN/ Thanks to everybody that reviewed! I'm glad to know people like the story._**

* * *

"JJ, you kissed REID?" Emily asked increduously as JJ entered the SUV after school.

"What makes you say that?" JJ asked coyly as her cheeks blushed furiously.

"Umm, the fact that Garcia hacked into the school security system? Or how about how your counselor called to inform me of your, and I quote, 'shananigans'?" Emily continued.

"JJ and Reid, sitting in a tree--" Garcia sang over the speaker phone in the car.

"Yeah, too bad Reid doesn't even know what that means." Prentiss interrupted as the two women errupted in fits of laughter.

"Look, he just told me that he...you know what, I don't have to explain myself to you." JJ realized.

"Oh, come on!" Emily pleaded.

"Ems, don't worry your pretty little face. That security camera has sound, so let me pull it up." Garcia said maniacally, with the sound of keys typing "Oooh! Its just as hot a second time! Hmm... Doctor Reid uses tongue?! He never seemed the type!"

"Always the quiet ones, Ooh! Is he your undercover lover? JJ, you dirty dog you!" Emily mocked.

"GIRLS, I HAVE GOOD AIM AND A GUN--WOULD YOU LIKE TO WITNESS A PSYCHOTIC BREAK FIRST HAND?" JJ yelled exasperated.

"Jeez Jayj, whats with all this teenage hostility? Maybe, you do belong in that feel-good, wierd, touchy-feely psychology seminar" Garcia noted with a hint of sarcasm, "Ooo! We've got sound!" Reid's voice came over the speaker phone as JJ blushed furiously.

"Wow! JJ, who knew that 'JJ, I like you--' meant 'kiss me you fool, let's have a make out break?'" Emily teased once the recorded conversation had ended.

"So, Garcia you seem morally opposed to this seminar." JJ attempted to divert the conversation.

"They do _nature walks!_ How much more hippie can you get? I grew up with tree-hugger parents in southern California, and they didn't even make me do that!" Garcia insisted.

"Well, now we've got to find a way to get Reid into that seminar." Emily replied

* * *

Hotch rapped quickly on Dave and Reid's door.

"Hey Hotch, what's up?" Rossi asked surprised.

"Where's Reid?" Hotch asked shortly.

"Hey Reid! Get down here!" Rossi called, ushering Hotch quickly into the sitting room.

"Hey Hotch, what do you need?" Reid asked as he came down the stairs.

"What happened today?" Hotch asked, refusing to elaborate.

"I don't know--"

"A fellow field agent? In the middle of the school? Reid, what are you thinking!" Hotch angrily began to yell at Reid.

"Hotch, what's your problem?" Rossi interrupted.

"Dave, it is completely irresponsible to--"

"No. Hotch, just because this is the closest parental interaction you've had in months doesn't mean you have to take it out on Reid. You're not mad that they are two agents getting together. You're upset because it was JJ. And, just in case you forgot, that girl is like 30, so unless you fathered her at 14 then I am _pretty sure_that you are NOT her father. Knock it off." Rossi gruffly told Hotch.

Hotch sat on the couch dumbfounded, after a moment of silence, he began to apologize--"You're right. I was a little intense. I'm sorry, we'll be briefing later tonight." Hotch quickly stood to leave.

As Hotch left the apartment, Rossi turned to Reid, patting him on the back and said "Good job boy, I didn't think you had it in you."

* * *

"The seminar is only a week away." Hotch informed the team, gathered in his living room. "Reid, I think it goes without saying--you _need_ to get into that seminar."

"Yeah, apparently underage drinking, multiple detentions, and making out in the halls isn't enough." Morgan teased.

"Do _whatever it takes_to get into that seminar." Hotch instructed.

"But Hotch, if Reid were to kiss her would you go knock down his door?" Emily teased as the rest of the team minus the youngest members burst out laughing. JJ seemed to hang back from the rest of them, completely embarrassed by the mention of what happened earlier that day. Reid was also blushing furiously, not having forgotten the emotions that were stirred earlier. JJ quickly found an excuse to leave the room of profilers to find solitude. Reid noticed her departure immediately and edged his way out of the room without the others noticing.

"Hey." Reid said softly as he came up to JJ from behind. She was sitting on the balcony looking up at the stars.

"Hey." She smiled at him as he sat in the chair next to her, then returned to her star gazing.

"So, Hotch was a little intense today." He said softly, hating to disrupt her moment alone.

"You have no idea." Reid chuckled at her response--if he got an angry Hotch, he could only imagine how Hotch would have reacted to JJ.

"So, this whole thing has been completely awkward." JJ offered, this time not looking at him.

"I know. High school was one of the worst times of my life--now I get to relive the entire thing--"

"With everybody watching." JJ interrupted knowingly.

"Yeah." A moment of silence followed as the two gazed up at the twinkling stars.

"But, at least you get the experience with popularity." JJ teased softly.

"You know, I never thought I would say this, but it is entirely overrated." He sat next to her and began searching for what had captured her interest.

"I know." Reid wasn't surprised at JJ's revelation, he would have assumed that she was incredibly popular. If he were to picture it, he was certain that she had probably been the most beautiful girl at school--she still was.

"So, today's incident. Is that going to happen again? Or are we going to repress this? Although I don't know that true repression is possible because the psychological imprint of an important event is--" JJ smiled at his nervous rambling.

"Well, what if I want it to happen again? Hypothetically, of course." JJ interrupted softly smiling at the rambling genius.

"Well, then, I would say, hypothetically, that I've been in love with you from the moment you stole my coffee cup." He smiled, as she traced the back of his hand.

"Well then, I guess--hypothetically--we would be dating." JJ concluded, looking into his eyes.

He quickly closed the gap, and kissed her lovingly under the stars. Breaking apart she asked "When did I steal your coffee cup?"

"The day I met you--you're first day at the BAU."

* * *

A week had passed since that night, and Spencer Reid was desperate. They had tried everything, and _finally_ he found himself sitting in the counselor's office.

"Spencer Reid. You've had quite the past few weeks at our school." Mr. Blakely hinted as Reid sat across the balding man.

"Yeah, I guess." Reid answered noncommittally.

"Did you realize that you have gone to detention more than any other student at our school? And you've only been coming here for three weeks." The counselor pointed out.

"That's not my fault, you see--"

"No, Spencer. You got in a _fight _at school!" The counselor interrupted, acting as though he could hardly believe it. Reid attempted not to smile, remembering how JJ had purposely tried to arrange a fight for him by tripping the angry football player .

"That wasn't my fault either--"

"Spencer, listen to me. There is a seminar that I don't want to make you have to attend. But, let this be a warning. Make no mistake, I get one more complaint about you and I _will _call your uncle and encourage him to attend this with you." Mr. Blakely warned.

_I'm so close! _Reid thought to himself.

"Now go to class."

JJ waited expectantly outside the office. "Did you get in? I was sure this was going to work!" Reid shook his head.

"He gave me a warning." Reid explained.

"What? What more do you have to do?" She asked exasperated.

"How about this?" He said as he pulled her in for a kiss. They were finally broken apart by a teacher.

"Mr. Reid, get to class. Miss Hotchner, let's go to the counselor's office."

* * *

Spencer Reid sat in his demeaning math class, trying to contemplate what more he could do to get into the seminar. He had tried everything! He had been late to class, not gone to class, left class early--and his most recent stint--gotten into a fight with a medium sized freshman boy. He chuckled that JJ had painstakingly chosen a person for him to fight with that wouldn't beat him at hand to hand combat. Although, it seemed that no matter what he did, the educational system wanted to give him nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

He unconsciously began to draw on his desk with an eraser in his hand. _What more can I do?_ He thought.

"SPENCER REID!" The teacher screamed horrified. Looking around behind him, he looked up at the teacher surprised. "That is vandalism of school property." She pointed to the eraser in his hand.

"You've got to be joking." Reid stated, the shock apparent in his voice.

"Go see the counselor! I will _not_ have you destroying the property of this school."

* * *

"Way to go man!" Morgan congratulated Reid as the team reconvened after school. Rossi had just informed the team that he and Reid had been invited to the seminar.

"Yeah, all it took was drawing on a desk with an eraser to make me a 'troubled teen'! What is wrong with these people?" Reid asked quickly.

"Well, it starts on Monday. Morgan, Garcia got you a job as security detail for the event. Let's be ready people!" Hotch said excitedly.

* * *

**_AN/Thanks to everybody that reviewed!_**


	10. Chapter 10

**_AN/ OK, this is mostly a JJ/Reid chapter (like most of this story has been so far) :) Thanks to everybody that has reviewed. I don't own criminal minds, sorry if I had you confused :)_**

"Parents, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules this week for your children." Mr. Blakely said warmly to the group gathered in his office that Monday morning. The team (sans Morgan and Garcia) were gathered, along with two other students and their parents.

"We have hopes that this experience will help your children to become competent adults." He continued shaking his head warily in the direction of the teenagers, "You'll have a driver, a Mr.--" He looked down at his files "Derek Morgan, escort you each morning to the seminar and escort you back home. He should be waiting outside for you now."

Once they had arrived at the seminar, they were quickly shepherded into 'family therapy sessions.' An Asian woman, Dr. Bently, looked over her glasses warily at JJ, Hotch, and Emily.

"So, Miss...Hotchner, you've had quite the experience at your new school." Dr. Bently stated simply.

"I don't appreciate your sarcasm." Hotch said quickly as Dr. Bently eyed him deeply.

"Mr. Hotchner, I have been doing this a long time. So, why don't we skip the unpleasantries, eh?" The doctor snapped. "In fact, I could probably tell you your issues right now." Emily involuntarily raised her eyebrow at the woman's presumptuousness. "You don't believe me?" Dr. Bently scoffed. "Fine. Mr. Hotchner, you are an overbearing stickler for the rules. You don't believe that people should _ever_ have an unfair advantage or not be subject to the rules that you believe in. You have given Jennifer every opportunity to rebel and every inclination to do so."

JJ involuntarily chuckled. In a few short weeks, JJ had come to feel true empathy for little Jack and his future. The doctor heard JJ's chuckle and turned on her.

"Jennifer. You are spoiled and manipulative. You are self-centered, like most teenagers, but have little regard for the feelings of others." JJ sat back shocked, trying not to feel a little hurt.

Emily nearly choked. Although JJ was her best friend in every way, it was interesting to have an outsider pull out a person's nuances--even if they were a tad bit off.

"Finally. Mrs. Hotchner. I would bet that a large portion of the teenage rebellion is due to your constant demeaning role. Step parents often feel as though they must over compensate, and the additional social dynamics lead an adolescent to act out inappropriately."

This time it was Hotch who chuckled. Although he had a sneaking suspicion that the doctor's assessment of himself had likely been close to correct, it was nice to know that they could miss the mark. Emily was the most compassionate person he had ever met, and if anyone ever called her demeaning, well then they would be flat out lying.

Meanwhile, Rossi and Reid were in a session of their own. A greying red-haired man didn't look up at them as he wrote diligently in a notebook. "Hmm, that's interesting."

Finally, Rossi had enough "Look, what do you want to know?"

"I think I already have everything I need." The man sat back satisfied, "But, since we have twenty more minutes, let me ask you Spencer--tell me about Miss Hotchner." The doctor commanded. Reid smiled as he thought of his new relationship with JJ. He thought back to the night a couple of days before.

_"Look kid, don't be nervous." Rossi scoffed as he helped Reid tie the bowtie on his suit. Morgan was actually fairly surprised at how nice the kid looked in a tux._

_"Don't be nervous!?!" Reid asked incredulously. "I have never been to a major high school activity, not to mention a DANCE!" Reid insisted._

_"Kid, I will only say this once. We have all been waiting for years for you two to finally get together. If it was anybody else, you could be worried, but its JJ. You like JJ." Morgan intervened._

_Reid softened a little at the mention of the blonde that had been such a prominent part of his dreams of late. Looking over himself once more, and getting the approval from Rossi, he drove quickly over to the home that the others shared._

_"Why am I so nervous?" He asked himself aloud as he knocked on the door._

_"Reid. Come on in." Hotch answered the door quickly and ushered him in. _

_"Umm, is she ready yet?" He figeted with the cuflinks on his tux._

_"Reid, she's a woman. Of course she's not ready yet. We probably have about twenty minutes." Hotch smiled. _

_True to form, JJ and Emily descended the stairs twenty-five minutes later. Emily had curled JJ's hair and helped her do an elegant up-do. Spencer Reid had read hundreds of books that detailed the beautiful art from the renaissance. He had looked at pictures of the many wonders of the world. But none of that could compare with the sight before his eyes. JJ wore an elegant black dress, that seemed to make her blue eyes shine in comparison._

_"Uh, JJ, you look...nice" Reid said lamely, euphoric at his luck as to win over the most beautiful woman the bureau had ever employed._

_"Thanks Spence, you look nice too" JJ responded, proud that she rendered the talkative genius speechless._

_The couple left their FBI commrades, happy to be alone from the prying eyes. Although they appreciated the support for their relationship, there were times their friends supported them a little too much. Like the time Morgan tried to remind Reid of the many forms of contraceptives and their uses._

_"So, We are actually going to a high school prom." JJ scoffed slightly._

_"Did you know that this will be my first high school dance? When I was 10 and 11, I had no use for dating--I hadn't hit puberty yet. By the time I actually noticed girls, I was a senior in high school and they were all too old for me." Reid said, hoping that JJ would some how find that cute instead of completely dorky._

_"Well, let's make it memorable" JJ said, grabbing his hand while they entered the crate-paper and balloon decorated area. _

_"Yeah, I am only, like, a decade late." Reid said softly._

_JJ pulled him around, forcing him to get pictures and not letting him go near the refreshment table until halfway through the dance. "If this is your first dance, it's gonna be real." She had insisted. Dancing with her just felt right, and although they were surrounded by throngs of hormonal sweaty teenagers, it felt as though they were the only two in the room. The evening passed way too quickly, and after the dance they had sat in the car. Initially they began talking, which led to kissing, which led to the best night of his life._

_Eventually, the night had ended early the next morning. Dropping JJ off, he walked her to the door._

_"Um, JJ? Thanks." Reid offered, hoping she would know how truly grateful he was to have her in his life._

_"For what? I had a great time tonight, Spence." Once more she embraced him and kissed him lovingly._

_"Umm. I think that's Emily watching us. I should go." He said sheepishly. He may have won over the girl of his dreams, but it was a little awkward to express it in front of his friends and coworkers._

_"Spence?" Her call stopped him mid stride. "I love you." _

"Spencer?" The old doctor looked at him searchingly.

"Sorry." Reid answered sheepishly. "Umm, Miss Hotchner? Well, she's probably the best thing in my life right now." He said with a smile.


	11. Chapter 11

**__**

AN/ Thanks to everybody that reviewed! Sorry it's been a while since I've posted--I've been super busy and I got caught up in my other story. I'm glad to know people like the story. I'm going to try to make this chapter a lot more Reid-centric, since I know everything's been more focused on JJ. ENJOY!

* * *

"I think I already have everything I need." The man sat back satisfied, "But, since we have twenty more minutes, let me ask you Spencer--tell me about Miss Hotchner." The doctor commanded. Reid smiled as he thought of his new relationship with JJ. He thought back to the night a couple of days before.

"Spencer?" The old doctor looked at him searchingly.

"Sorry." Reid answered sheepishly. "Umm, Miss Hotchner? Well, she's probably the best thing in my life right now." He said with a smile.

"Interesting." The psychiatrist continued to make notes.

"Interesting?" Reid repeated.

"You'd be surprised at how many boys like yourself end up at this thing because of some girl. Interesting--because before you met 'the best thing in your life right now' you hadn't gotten into any kind of trouble. Since your relationship apparently began, you have been found to be drinking, fighting, disrupting class, not attending class--do I really need to continue?" The graying man asked.

Reid shook his head silently.

"Listen Spencer. Educational opportunities are rare--girls are a dime a dozen." The counselor advised.

* * *

"We will now take an opportunity to visit with teens and parents seperately. Parents if you will stay here, and the rest come with me." The man at the podium directed. Reid walked closely up to JJ.

"Do you want to find a closet somewhere and--"

"Yes." She answered quickly. This entire thing had been going on for far too long. He was tired of the way people treated him like his opinions didn't matter. Even the team had started to treat he and JJ a little differently, although it didn't really matter, it was getting a little annoying. "Let's go." She insisted.

Making sure no one was watching them, they quickly found an unlocked empty room. He quickly kissed her passionately, as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"JJ," He moaned, beginning to pull away as she pulled him in tighter.

"What?" She whispered in between kisses.

"Maybe this isn't a good idea--we're acting like teenagers."

She stopped and looked at him momentarily. "Spence, we're _supposed_ to be acting like teenagers." Throwing caution to the wind, he quickly grabbed her again.

"So, in my first therapy session, get this, I was told Ms. Jennifer Jareau, that quote _'Educational opportunities are rare--girls are a dime a dozen'._ " Reid said in his best impression of his therapist with temporary breaks in the conversation in which the kissing resumed.

" Hmm... Intresting theory and what did you think about that?" JJ responded

"I thought that I would pick you over any of my PhDs"

"Even Physics?" JJ said hopefully

"Well, I may love you as much as that one." Reid replied jokingly as JJ playfully swated him as she grabbed him pulling him closer.

"EXCUSE ME?" A high pitched scream broke the couple apart.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" A tall woman with a shrill voice stood in the doorway fuming.

"Uhh, we were erm--" Reid started, his cheeks turning a deep shade of red they were almost purple. Reminding himself to breath, he was about to attempt an explanation a second time when JJ asserted herself.

"We were just--" JJ began, feeling embarassed.

"Yeah. I know what you were just doing." The woman replied angrily. "DONALD!" She yelled. "Get in here!"

A hyppie looking man with long shaggie hair entered the room. "Yes, Edna?"

"These two were in here, _alone._" She emphasized, eyes wild with anger.

"Oh Edna. Haven't you ever been in love? If these two are sneaking away just to be together, then we know that they aren't stealing cars or doing pot--so that's a _good_ thing."

"So, you're saying the way to avoid teenage crime is to allow their raging hormones to run rampant?" The woman asked incredulously.

"Hey, it works." The man shrugged and looked to JJ and Reid. "Now, you two are supposed to come with me, so let's go visit the rest of the group."

The three exited the room, and walked toward the room they were supposed to meet in.

"Me and Edna have differing views on teenage sex, I say as long as its safe, who cares? Edna, however, she thinks that sexual intercourse at a young age will make people more susceptible to being in trouble, she even thinks teenagers should come because they are having sex." The hippie man said.

Reid thought about this for a minute, on the one hand, he completely agreed with Edna, but on the other, his only shot at finishing this seminar was agreeing with Donald. So, he decided to keep his mouth shut on the correlation between teenagers who are having intercourse and other at-risk behaviors.

Reid, JJ, and the psychiatrist whose name was apparently Donald, entered a big, bright room where the other teenagers were stationed.

"So I take it they were trying to skip out." The female therapist leading the session said to Donald

"Aw, you all need to calm down. You remember teenage hormones! They were having a healthy experience with them." He replied.

Reid blushed. Firstly, he was almost 27 years old. He was far past being a horny teenage boy. Secondly, even if he was a teenager, why was this idiot telling everyone that him and JJ were 'bonding' in the closet. What happened to being professional?

"Spencer, Jennifer, please have a seat. I apologize but you will have to control your hormones while in this seminar. Live porn will help no one" The woman said with a sarcastic smirk as JJ's face blushed furiously red, Reid suspected his own face was not far behind.

* * *

"So, did you notice anyone worth investigating?" Rossi asked Reid over takeout in their home. They had finally gotten back, and both were starving.

"Um, I didn't really notice." Reid admitted to his chagrin

"What?"

"I was busy, um. With JJ." Reid's cheeks flushed.

"Reid, what were you doing!?!" Rossi exclaimed. "The whole purpose of this operation is for us to figure out who is killing families. Dabbling in matters of the heart is fine on another case, but you're distracted! Focus Reid!" Rossi yelled.

Reid's eyes fell to his plate. "You're right."

"Kid! You're 27 years old! Yes you never got a proper childhood, but lives are at stake! This is not the time to relive the best years of your life! No matter how much you forget, you are not some 17 year old boy who has the hots for some girl." Rossi's rant continued.

Reid winced, wishing that the seasoned famous profiler would stop yelling at him.

"You are a member of one of the most elite profiling teams in the world, DON'T FORGET THAT! You have a bright mind, but don't be an idiot!" Rossi fumed angrily.

"You're right. I'm sorry." Reid managed to blurt out. Although Rossi was right, and he had to be better at juggling the job with his new founded relationship, there wasn't much he would change about today.

"So how was it?" Rossi said with a smile and a gleam in his eye.


	12. Chapter 12

**__**

AN/ Thanks to everybody that reviewed! Sorry if you're reading 'The Retreat' and you think these two stories are too similar. I try to keep them seperate in my mind, but since I'm the one writing them, they probably will end up being similar. I hope they are different enough to be interesting, because I love both stories. Anyway, READ ON!

* * *

_She watched them leave the building where they were holding the seminar. They were next. How could a child succed when they weren't given the right opportunities or discipline? Children need stable homes, and when parents failed, someone had to make sure there were consequences._

* * *

"So girl, spill." Garcia said quietly. She and Emily had cornered JJ the moment they returned from the seminar that day. She had flown out earlier the night before and had been watching surveillance footage of her favorite team.

"I don't know what you're talking about." JJ said shyly. It wasn't that she didn't want to tell her closest friends of her newfound relationship, she was just an extremely private person. Garcia simply looked at her disbelieving, raising an eyebrow and quickly left to grab her computer.

"You have no idea what I'm talking about, sugar? Maybe this will jog your memory." Garcia quickly summoned the recorded video and the three women watched in delight (and somewhat embarassment in JJ's case). Emily squealed in surprise and delight as JJ attacked their socially awkward friend.

"You have been holding out on me!" Emily cried increduously as JJ blushed furiously.

"There was nothing to tell." She said meekly, trying to regain control of the conversation.

"Nothing to tell! I do believe that you may have sucked the good doctor's heart out through his mouth. I _definitely_ think that's something!" Garcia exploded.

"What's going on?" Hotch asked as he entered the room. He had been upstairs finishing up his notes for the day when he heard the women yelling from downstairs.

"Nothing, sir." Garcia said, mollified. She would do anything for her boss, and she and Hotch had a special bond--but that doesn't mean that she wasn't a little bit afraid of him.

"Are you talking about JJ and Reid?" Hotch asked, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Yeah, how did you--" Emily began to ask him, completely perplexed.

"The seminar director came and got me and showed me the footage. I got all mad and told him I'd talk to you when we got home. Good form, JJ." Hotch turned and quickly left the dumbfounded women.

"Did he just--?" JJ began to ask.

"Yeah, I think he just." Garcia confirmed, all three still staring at the door that he had retreated out of. A moment later the three women burst into giggles.

"Ok, girl. Spill." Garcia managed to command after the women quieted down.

* * *

_Now all she needed to do was to get ready. The seminar would be over soon, and then she would make her move._

* * *

"If everyone could please listen for a moment, we will get started! Today we will be learning more effective ways of communicating with each other." A blonde woman at the front of the room excitedly introduced. JJ was more than grateful that this was the last day of this awful assignment.

"A lot of teens have problems communicating their feelings to their parents, while some parents seem to have difficulties explaining their reasoning to their teenagers. Today, we're going to work on that!" The woman said with a small giggle.

"I would like each parent--" JJ stopped listening. Was this whole thing supposed to be helpful?

"I am _so_ bored." Emily whispered.

"I know. At least it's better than sitting through Latin, though. I _hated_ that class." JJ admitted.

"Seriously. I don't know how you did this for so long." Emily proclaimed.

"I guess I had something to distract me." JJ admitted sheepishly.

"Yeah." Emily smiled as she looked over at Reid who was attentively listening to the woman at the podium. "Good distraction."

* * *

_"Can't we just stop? Do we really need to keep doing this? It's over." He tried to tell her._

_"No. It will never be over. They are next. Get Nathan."_

* * *

"I am glad that is over." Hotch admitted as the trio left the school and began to head home. It had been a week long of awkward moments. Gudiance counselors telling him that his daughter was not 'emotionally attatched' to him, or hear JJ bemoan that he had never been to one of her soccer games.

"Yeah, I think that goes without saying." Emily added, completely drained from the day's activities.

"So, we're briefing at 9 tonight?" JJ asked tiredly. She hadn't been exactly paying attention when Hotch and Rossi had again scheduled a chance for the team to meet and discuss their thoughts on the people involved with the seminar. She was far too distracted with Reid coming up to her and pulling her aside.

_"JJ, what is going to happen when this is all over?" He asked_

_"Happen with what?" She questioned, she knew exactly what he was asking, but she needed more time. She had been wondering the same thing, but she secretly wanted more time with their fake, uncomplicated relationship. Every moment she could draw out him being with her she would take. She was well aware of the fact that once their cover ended, that maybe they would be over too. Relationships in adult-world were much more complicated. She would rather have it end with them on good terms now, than them giving a real relationship a whirl, and have them hating each ther._

_"With us. With this." He said motioning to her and himself. Reid could not stand not knowing where they were going. He had never been good at relationships, but he wasn't about to let this just go._

_"Do you love me?" JJ asked quietly, it was completely rhetorical. She knew what he was going to say, but she still wanted to hear it._

_"What? Yes, of course." Reid responded, "Jayje, I have loved you since the day I met you."_

_"And if we continue this, where do you think it will go?" _

_"I have no idea, I know where I want it to go, and I will try my best to make it work." Reid whispered._

_"And what if it doesn't work out that way? What if it ends in name-calling and dish-breaking, and you hate me?" This was the question that JJ needed to ask, she needed to know what would happen if it didn't work out perfect._

_"One of us will transfer, I will transfer. JJ, don't doom this relationship before we have a chance to make it real. If we are making contingency plans now, its going to be easier for us to use them later." Reid responded, and added with a smile "and I doubt I have the upper-body strength to throw the plate hard enough for it to break. That would be all you dear." _

_JJ smiled, "So, you want this to continue when we go back to Quantico?"_

_Reid nodded and said "Jayje, it was never about whether I wanted this to continue, it's about if you do. If you don't I will walk away like a good boy, and leave you alone. But, I don't think that's what you want." He left it hanging._

_"I always wondered something about what my college coach used to say." JJ mused as Spence sat baffled. He was fairly certain she was just trying to avoid answering him, but he remained silent and allowed her to continue. "He used to say, 'You miss one-hundred percent of the shots you don't take. He used to say that it wasn't about soccer. I didn't get it before. Now I do." She finished as she leaned in to kiss Reid one more time. "I don't want to miss this shot."_

"JJ?" Emily asked smiling. They had been silent for minutes as she had a far away look in her eyes, obviously not listening.

"Sorry. What?"

"Briefing's at nine." Hotch stated for the second time.

A ringing phone interrupted the trio in the car. Emily looked at the caller id before putting it on speaker, "Garcia, what do you--"

"Rossi and Reid aren't answering their phones. I don't know what happened. Everything's off--GPS, Both their cells--" Garcia rambled nervously.

"Garcia?" Hotch asked quickly.

"I think they've been taken."

* * *

_**AN/ Sorry it's been a while for updating. I usually have to go through the story a couple of times to make sure it's right. Thanks for reading, let me know what you think!**_


	13. Chapter 13

"Taken?" JJ asked tenatively. "But none of the other victims--"

"He could be devolving." Emily offered, aware of how worried her blonde friend must be.

"We have to treat this as though it is the same unsub." Hotch pointed out. "JJ, I need to know that you'll be--"

"I'll be fine, Hotch. Let's get them back." JJ insisted. Truthfully she didn't know if she was fine, but she had to be. She had to get Reid back.

"Prentiss, when we get back to the house, you go check out their place--JJ and I will look at suspects. Check out _everyone_ they could have had contact with." Hotch said, trying to keep the tone of his voice even. This was personal.

* * *

David Rossi never considered himself an old man. The pain in the back of his head began to wake him up. The odd thought occurred to him that it was old age, and then the memories came rushing back. He and the kid had just entered the house when he heard Reid scream like a girl. He was about to make fun of him when he was hit hard from behind.

Blinking his eyes to see his surroundings and try to focus the images into one rather than the three he was currently seeing. The room around him was white, with harsh glare and flickering coming from the incandesant light.

Where was he? Rossi wasn't sure.

_The case._ He thought to himself. This had to be related to the case! Rossi didn't believe that him being attacked and kidnapped while he was undercover could possibly be a coincidence.

_But why? _Rossi knew why, he and Reid where the pair chosen to die. This knowledge brought a wide variety of emotions, he was frightened--why wouldn't he be?. He was comforted--his main fear was the unknown, at least now he understood why he was taken. And he was energized--Rossi was a veteran profiler, this was not the first time that he was abducted and he remembered one thing: Each time he got out alive, he got home, and the unsub didn't. But it would be a lie to say that fear was not the most prominant emotion--this very well could be the time David Rossi did not get to go home.

He heard Reid's breathing, it was deep and even. Reid was still unconcious. Rossi gave the room a good look. It was white, with the dying light, the carpet was soft- it was not industrial, but the carpet you would find at a house. If Rossi tried he could hear cars driving by, they were not in a remote area. This kidnapping was different. The unsubs were starting to devolve. They were getting messy and dangerous. They would not care if people knew what they were doing. If anyone close to them didn't know what they were doing, they would now. These killers would get caught, but not before they killed him and Reid. Their deaths would be the catalyst that would get the unsubs caught.

* * *

"Rebecca!" Becca's mother yelled to the teenager who was drowning out the world via her ipod.

"Yup?"

"Do _NOT_ go downstairs to the basement. Your father and Nathan are working on something." Her mother seemed almost frantic, and although this wasn't common Becca didn't think anything of it.

"Ok--" The girl elongated the word unsurly, then shrugged. "Whatever."

"You may want to pack." Her mom left without another word as Becca groaned. Every time her mom said that, they moved a couple of days later. But, she had been seeing the signs for a while. Her parents would always get stressed out, then Nate would stop talking to her, and then her mom would tell her to pack. She should have known.

"I was just starting to fit in." She thought unhappily. "Oh well!"

* * *

When JJ was stressed, she always paced. Always. Now, JJ was stressed beyond all comprehension and the living room was not nearly big enough to let her walk out her emotions. Her Spence was in danger and there was nothing she could do to save him. They had no clues, no leads, no suspects. They had nothing, and the man that she was in love with was going to pay for it. Hotch and Prentiss were on crisis mode, but JJ didn't have it in her to do her job. She knew she was supposed to help, but this was a low blow. JJ's life was now split into two halves--Reid and work. With Reid gone, her life collapsed on itself.

_Ding dong, _the door bell rang, almost in mockery, oblivious of the chaos that JJ was feeling and the mayhem Hotch and Prentiss were trying to solve.

JJ begrudgingly opened the door. It was Becca, who had called JJ four times in an hour. JJ hadn't answered because she plainly had better things to do. _Really, what am I supposed to say to her? Like I don't have enough going on? I have to entertain a blabbering teenager? OK, I will just deal with her and get back to pacing._

"Hi Becca, this really isn't--" JJ began, but seeing the distraught look of the younger girl, changed her mind and asked "what's up?" with a feigned smile. She was definitely hoping Becca wasn't as perceptive as her profiler friends.

"Hey, I just wanted to say good bye. I think we are moving again, and I just thought I'd get all the farewells out of the way."

"When?" JJ replied like she was curious, she really didn't care right now--but she wanted to be nice and that's what 17-year-old JJ would have asked.

"Probably this week. Tommorow or the day after. We move a lot without notice. My mom told me to pack, and that's a cardinal sign that we are leaving."

Prentiss overheard this new revelation and remembered Garcia's info that their neighbor family had lived in all of the areas of the victims. "Becca, how often do you guys move?"

"Oh, all the time! Ever since my sister died after going to some thingie my mom tends to go a little postal and--" She was cut off by the incredulous stares that greeted her. "What?"

"I didn't know you had a sister." JJ pointed out, not believing that she had been around this girl for the past month and hadn't realized that her mother and family were the unsubs. _How could I be so stupid!_

* * *

Spencer Reid slowly blinked into consciousness. _Oh no! Not again!_ The only comforting fact was that the liklihood of this unsub injecting him with controlled substances was extremely rare, in fact he had a probability of--he tried to stop his brain from coming up with the statistics, knowing they would only serve to make him more nervous. _Where's Rossi?_

"Hey kid. You're awake." Rossi answered the question that Reid hadn't spoken out loud.

"Where are we?"

"I don't know." Rossi's no nonsense reply was oddly comforting to the genius. No matter how much they were tortured, Rossi would never be the type of person to sugar coat something. It was nice to have that constant in life. Rossi would never share his feelings or insights like Gideon would have in this situation. Oddly, Reid was glad to have this particular experienced profiler at his side.

"Are you ok?" Reid asked, aware of the blood that dripped down the back of the older man's neck that had pooled around his collar and shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Not as young as I used to be." The pair's chit-chat was immediately cut off as they heard footsteps descending the stairs. _We must be in a basement!_ They thought simultaneously. Reid sat in shock as the youngest unsub came into view.

"Nathan?"

* * *

**_AN/I don't think I can say enough that '52 Pickup' was AWESOME! I loved it! Happy Thanksgiving!_**


	14. Chapter 14

_**AN/Sorry, I'm not sure why this was having problems. I'll try it this time, hopefully everybody can read it...let me know if you can't.**_

* * *

"Hey Spencer. I'm sorry." Nate apologized as he rounded the corner with his parents.

"Why are you doing this?" Reid fought to keep his mind in the present to prevent any unpleasant flashbacks.

"Because he has to." His mother replied.

"Why?" Reid asked

"Because, children like you never change. Your parent's try so hard, and yet, it does no good. You are a lost cause, but Jennifer still has a chance, I have to get the child with some minute decency away from your decapitating clutches." The mother said angrily and continued, "I have to kill your uncle out of compassion. I know what its like to lose a child due to their own corrupt and idiotic nature, and I wish someone put me out of my misery. My daughter was a good, smart girl, and because of a lowlife like yourself, she is dead. I can't watch it happen any more!"

"So you're going to kill us in your house?" Rossi asked, having no idea who these people were but knowing that Reid must have known the boy from school. The mom obviously knew JJ, or maybe it was some other teenage girl named Jennifer, but his thinking was still a little cloudy from the injury to the back of his head. "Are you stupid?" He continued to taunt them.

"He's right Molly." The older man said quietly. He was obviously the unsub that was only assisting, standing far away from both the boy, Nathan, and the woman, Molly.

"Fine." The woman said angrily. "Let's take them back to their own house then. Let them die like the others."

"Now, get moving. We have to get out of here." Nate said as he untied Reid with a gun in his hand. Reid could no longer stop the visual image to come up.

He remembered Georgia more vividly than ever before. He remembered the smell of the old house and the burning fish. He remembered the cold of the ground. He remembered gasping for air after the chair fell. He remembered the beating and torture he suffered. But most potently, Spencer Reid remembered the fear that encircled him and the knowledge that he was going to die. While so different from the Marshall Plantation there was one parallel: he was afraid for his life---but this time, he was not getting out alive.

"Where are we going?" Rossi asked, seeing as how the younger man quickly became overcome by fear.

* * *

"Lets get all units to the Johnson house!" Hotch exclaimed, tearing himself away from the neighbor girl and barking out orders to the nearest field office--he was not about to let Reid and Rossi die. He could not believe that the unsubs were so close this entire time and yet, they never noticed. He glanced over to JJ who seemed besides herself. Truthfully, to anyone who didn't know her well, she would have seemed completely put together. But, to an experienced profiler that had been working with the skilled media liaison for years, he saw how close she was to snapping.

"JJ, they will be ok, we will get to them before anything else happens." Emily said soothingly, knowing it was easier said than done. She too noticed the crack in the facade of her younger friend.

"Let's just focus on getting them back. I'm fine." JJ insisted, although she knew that the others weren't about to buy it.

"We need a strike team on the Johnson home now."

* * *

**_AN/Thanks for being patient!_**


	15. Chapter 15

_**AN/Sorry, I'm not sure why this was having problems. I'll try it this time, hopefully everybody can read it...let me know if you can't. This used to be the last half of the chapter that is acting possessed. I figured posting it seperate may help.**_

* * *

"We need a strike team on the Johnson home." Hotch watched as JJ called the local police department and FBI field office. Taking compassion on the blonde who was likely going through a difficult time (though she would never admit it) Hotch quickly decided to intervene.

"JJ. I want you to go back to the Rossi and Reid's house. We might have missed something, and all other available units will be making there way here. I'd hate to leave the scene compromised." He suggested. Both knew it was an opportunity to keep her as far as possible from whatever may have been done to Reid in the time that the UNSUB had him.

"Hotch, I'd really rather--"

"This isn't actually up for debate." He interrupted. Concern for a friend was one thing, but as the Agent in Charge, he couldn't let an agent he believed to be compromised to be in a position where her emotions would get involved. The future relationship of JJ and Reid had been on his mind, and he wasn't about to let it influence a case.

"Fine." She stormed off, not wanting to show how upset she really was. Did he really think that she wasn't able to handle it?

"Hotch, are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, with multiple unsubs, we need all the agents we can get, and---" Emily began, feeling for her blonde friend who only wanted to ensure the safety of the man she loved.

"Prentiss, why don't you go with her." Hotch dismissed. He wasn't about to allow JJ to be apart of the arrest, and if Emily could not accept that, then she would have to be taken off as well.

"Fine." Emily said begrudgingly, grabbing her blonde friend by the arm, pulling her toward the door.

"Why don't you take Becca with you. This is going to be a confusing and hard experiance for her, it would help her a lot if you two could explain things. Also, it wouldn't hurt to have someone there to comfort her." Hotch called as an after thought. He really did feel badly for this girl, and she had seemed to have bonded with JJ. He wanted to do all he could to help Becca out, and to keep JJ from the Johnson home. It also didn't hurt that Hotch did not want to comfort and befriend the 16 year-old girl himself. All Aaron Hotchner wanted to do was get his agents back and have a good, clean arrest.

* * *

"So, you're actually like 30?" Becca asked from the backseat. She was trying to think about anything other than how her family was apparently a serial-killer team, and the fact that her best friend turned out to be an undercover FBI agent was a good distraction.

"Twenty-six" JJ responded absent-mindedly.

"Are you actually dating Spencer?" Becca questioned, indifferent of the answer. All she wanted was noise, people talking or music or loud car alarms or anything, to drown out her thoughts with. JJ's one word answers were not helping her any.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. We didn't get together until we went undercover, so its still a little new. I mean... I don't know where it is going after this is over. But, I consider him my boyfriend. We are going to see how well a relationship goes when we get back to Washington." JJ said, mentally adding _if he survives this. _She felt guilty that the key to all of this mess was right under her nose, all she had to do was ask, and she never noticed. JJ felt like if she had been more perceptive and less distracted, then Spence would have never been abducted. But JJ was secretly glad that she had that distraction. Under no other circumstances would she have ever gotten to tell him how much she really did love him, or hear how much he cared for her.

"Your twenty-six and you still took chemistry?" Becca asked, waking JJ up out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, I didn't have a choice." JJ replied smugly, but Prentiss interrupted.

"She had to take the class, but she didn't have to actually pass it or do the homework. She decided that she wasn't going to fail high school-even when it was just for cover. That's just how in control our little ..." Emily began teasingly but stopped once she gaged the reaction of those who where in the car with her. She felt guilty for trying to make a joke at the completely wrong time. JJ was worried about Reid and Becca was dealing with the fact her parents and brother were murderers, they were not exactly the prime audiance for the Emily Prentiss stand up comedy show. So, Emily grew quiet and kept her eyes on the road. Approaching the house that Rossi and Reid shared in silence, Emily noticed something. She looked to see if her coworker was looking, but JJ seemed to have fallen asleep during the relatively short journey.

"Hey, JJ?" Emily began softly.

"Em, I'm just really tired." JJ said without opening her eyes.

"I know that, it's just...it looks like someone's inside at Rossi's."

* * *

**_AN/Thanks for being patient!_**


	16. Chapter 16

_**AN/I've been working on this for a while. Hope you like it! Please Review!**_

* * *

JJ could not believe her eyes when she saw a light blue SUV in the drive way-a SUV that she remembered vividly. It belonged to the only people in the world she wanted to kill at first sight.

"EMILY! THAT'S THEIR CAR! THE JOHNSON'S! ITS THEIR CAR!" JJ shrieked, jumping out of the still moving car and running to the door. Prentiss quickly threw the car in park and yelled for Becca to stay in the car. She ran as fast as she could to the blonde woman, but JJ -even with out adrenaline coursing through her veins- was always just a tad bit quicker than Emily, so she easily out ran her collegue. Emily watched as came across the locked door, grateful that there was some small amount of time to try to calm JJ down. She knew this was difficult for her friend, but it was too dangerous for JJ to go into a situation like this emotionally involved.

"POLICE! OPEN UP!" JJ yelled furiously, banging on the doors with all her might.

"JJ, it will be ok, we will get Morgan here in a second and it will be alright." Emily tried to soothe her co-worker as she finally reached her.

"Emily, what if we don't have a minute?! What if Reid and Rossi are already dead and we can't save them? I am not waiting a minute!" JJ bawled, kicking the door. She had hoped it would open but apparently she was not strong enough to kick down the front door. Stupid Morgan, him being at the unsub's home was going to get the love of her life killed.

"They will be ok. We will get in there, you'll see." Emily replied kindly, looking for any way into the house. Originally, she was hoping that they could go in stealthfully, but JJ's screaming, while understandable, ruined all hopes of a soft entry.

"It's all my fault! First in Georgia, with those dumb dogs and that stupid Tobias, and now this. I am like Spencer Reid's personal angel of death!" JJ wept. "But, I have to try to save him now. I cannot just sit here, crying and complaining, and letting him sit there dying!" JJ resolved.

"Jayje..." Prentiss started but was interrupted by JJ shooting the large bay window. Shards of glass flew as the window shattered. Emily watched in shock as the small blonde woman climbed through the window.

* * *

"What was that?" Molly Johnson asked as she heard a loud bang and glass crashing.

"Oh, that's probably our dog." Rossi lied.

"You don't have a dog." Nate replied, raising the gun.

Rossi thought this was truly ironic. In his last moments, he would be fighting about whether or not he had a dog. If he died with his last words being this lie, he would be laughing his way to the pearly gates.

"If it isn't your dog, who is it?" Eric Johnson questioned.

"Lassie?" Rossi had promised himself that he would go out in style, using his sarcastic spirit to his last moments. And even more, he was buying time. Time that they so desperately needed.

"Oh, you think your funny do you? You won't be so funny when I put a bullet in your brain." Molly Johnson mused.

Reid had a flood of pain come back to him from that day in Georgia. He remembered the revolver that Hankle pointed at him. And now he could not hold back the memory he tried to repress more than any other. The memory of dying. He remembered the chair falling, and himself gaping for air. The pain he felt was unreal. Reid wanted nothing more than to cease to exist. He wanted to be free of these memories. But out of his peripheral vision he saw something, the face of the blonde woman he loved so much. Spencer didn't know whether it was just his mind trying to let his last memories be pleasant, or if JJ was really there. He really didn't mind either way. Some how she was here with him.

* * *

JJ put her finger to her mouth when she saw Reid. It was a miracle she had gotten down the stairs without being noticed. Now, she had to get Reid out...and Rossi. While JJ was consumed with her desire to save Reid, she knew she had to get Rossi out too. But, while JJ liked Rossi, Reid was her reason for shooting out a window. So when Nathan raised the gun closer the Rossi's head, she knew she had to take the shot. She breathed in while she pulled the trigger, aiming for his arm.

The shot was clean. The young man fell over with a cry while his mother screamed. The father grabbed Nathan's gun and aimed it at JJ.

"What are you doing here?" Eric Johnson asked, glaring.

"FBI, put down your weapon!" JJ exclaimed. She was worried for a moment that the unsubs would not believe her and gun her down. But only for a moment. Within seconds, a SWAT team was racing down the stairs.

JJ could not wait anymore, she ran straight to Reid and quickly put her arms around him. She would leave the arrests, and Nathan's injury to others. She knew where she needed to be.

"Spence, are you okay? Did they do anything to you?" She asked, tears swelling up in her eyes, "So help me, if they did anything to you, I will..." She began, but stopped the moment Spence sat up and drew her into a hug. JJ sat there, dazed for a moment, taking in every detail of the man she feared she would never see again. She noted his scent, mostly the same smell that she loved as it mixed with the scent of sweat and blood. He looked similar to himself, but not the same. He looked afraid, and innocent. This gave JJ a feeling of extreme protectiveness, she would never let anyone hurt her Spence again. Most importantly, Spencer felt the same. The embrace had the same mix of warmth and comfort that JJ remembered and loved. He was still her Spence, and she would do her best to help him get through this. JJ quickly gave Reid a kiss on the cheek, promising to herself that she would be there for him, however bad it got.

* * *

"JJ, can I speak with you for a moment?" Hotch asked, peeping through the hospital room door.

Reid and Rossi had both been admitted into the hospital. While their outlook seemed good, the doctors wanted the pair to stay over night for observation. JJ had dutifully stayed by Reid's side since she found him in the basement. She almost decked the EMT when he told her that she could not ride with Spence in the ambulance. It was only through Prentiss's skill of negotiation that JJ got to stay with Reid, and the officer got to stay uninjured. Now, Emily and JJ were talking to Reid, while Morgan and Hotch visited Rossi. JJ was annoyed that she had not had a moment alone with Spence since they had gotten to the hospital. Emily was just about to leave, too. And now her stupid boss was going to ruin her alone time with her boyfriend.

"Yes." JJ replied unwillingly. She silently cursed the man whom she usually revered. _Of all the times._ She thought to herself, walking out the door and closing it behind her.

"Okay Hotch, shoot." JJ said, giving the go-ahead for the lecture she knew she was in for. She was an intelligent woman, intelligent enough to know that the second she tried to burst into that house without a team with her, she was seriously breaking protocol. But she would not have done it any differently. In a thousand lifetimes, she would never regret entering that house for the man she loved. But she knew the Bureau would not see it that way.

"JJ, what am I going to do with you? Do you know how serious this situation is? You broke protocol in the most severe of ways! Not only could you have gotten yourself killed, but you further endangered Reid and Rossi's lives as well. This is not to be taken lightly. You were too involved emotionally. There was a specific reason why you were told to go to the house where the unsubs were not supposed to be. Because of your current status with Spencer you acted foolishly and I cannot condone what you have done." Hotch said furiously. He spoke quietly, but it was the most impassioned speech she had ever heard the cold man say.

"I am very sorry that protocol was broken, and it will not happen again. But, I was only following orders by going to the house, and I ascertained that Reid and Rossi were in danger. But, I am sorry." JJ apologized mechanically, and she was sorry. A little.

"I am sorry too JJ, but my hands are tied. Strauss found out about the relationship and has heard about this case. She is willing to let you stay in the FBI without an ethics investigation if you agree to transfer units. Counter-terrorism is offering you a rather attractive salary, if you choose to go there." Hotch told her quietly and continued, "You do, however, have the option of welcoming the investigation, and testifying that you and Reid were acting in the name of cover only. Off the record, I can tell you that the entire team is willing to lie in order to keep you with us. If that were so, any interaction between you and Reid must cease immediately, and any resuming of such a relationship would be hardly in your best interest."

"So, I have to pick between my job and Spence?" JJ asked rhetorically.

"JJ, I am truly sorry. If there was anything I could do, I would." Hotch replied sincerely. He honestly wished that he could just overlook this, but Strauss was breathing down his neck and he had to do something.

"I understand, I acted in a way unbecoming of the FBI, and I am lucky if I do not get investigated by Internal Affairs." JJ said, trying to hide her disappointment, as Hotch turned to walk away she called after him.

"Hotch, it was a pleasure working with you. You will have my resignation on your desk as soon as possible." JJ promised. While she loved the BAU, she had to pick Spence. The choice had already been made. JJ would miss the team terriably, but she knew what she could not live without.

"I thought that would be the case. I wish you the best in all of your pursuits, especially those concerning Reid." He said with a smile. "You may want to tell him the situation, Emily should be leaving any moment." He then turned, and walked off. JJ stood for a moment, bracing herself before she went back into the hospital room, contemplating to herself what she had just done.

* * *

"Night, JJ. Reid, Get well soon! I mean it!" Emily told the couple ten minutes later. She quickly exited the room, leaving the pair alone. When Reid saw Prentiss was out of sight, he turned quickly to JJ.

"I...uh...heard about you entering the house before the OK was made, are you going to be alright." He asked sincerely. Spencer really did not want JJ to get in trouble because of him.

"It would have been if we weren't seeing eachother, but because of the relationship, I am going to be transfered. I acted without thought, and that cannot be tolerated." She answered honestly.

"But...It is not your fault! Why am I not being transferred? I am just as guilty in this relationship." Said a very enraged Reid.

"Because you did not shoot out a window, and jeprodize the lives of your fellow agents. And also, it doesn't hurt that you are the most brilliant mind the FBI has ever employed." JJ replied with a weary smile.

"But I was the instigator in this relationship!"

"Alright firstly, welcome to the world of being a woman in the FBI. And secondly, Spence, sweetie, if I remember correctly I kissed you in the hall." She reminded him.

"But I kissed you when I was drunk...." He began.

"Honey, you were drunk, it still does not count." JJ pointed out with a smile.

"Wait, what if we just said that this was all a misunderstanding? We can tell them that we were just undercover and we thought it was for the best if we pretended to be together. It will be alright." Reid resolved, he would not cost JJ her job.

"But then we have to break-up. If Strauss ever caught wind of us dating again, I would be done for."

"But you will still have your job, I am willing to end this so you can stay with the team." Spencer told her. He loved her enough to not make her sacrifice the thing she cared most about in this world...her job.

"I am not." JJ said quietly.

"What?" Spencer asked, unsure of what she meant.

"I am not willing to break-up for my position. Counter-terrorism is offering me a job. I can stay with the FBI, and still be with you."

"JJ, You love your job. I cannot ask you to give it up for me."

"You don't have to ask, because I love you more." JJ replied simply. Reid at first looked shocked, and then, slowly a smile crept upon his face.

"YOU LOVE ME MORE THAN THE BAU!" Reid exclaimed, jumping off his bed.

"Honey, calm down, they will kick me out if I make your heart rate go crazy." JJ tried to calm him, but was too late as he ran up and kissed her.

"Too late, no matter what you do you make my heart rate go crazy! JJ, you love me more than your job. You broke up with how many boyfriends over ultimatums to quit the BAU, and for me you do it freely! While, I still don't think I am worth it, I...am at loss for words!" He said again, pulling her in for another quick kiss.

"Now, Dr. Reid, don't get cocky!" JJ teased.

"The most beautiful girl in the world, has chosen me over the job that she has slaved over for years. I will be cocky if I want to be." Spence shot back. JJ just laughed as he held her tight. She mused to herself how a workaholic like her could give up her job for Spence. She could do anything for him. Jennifer Jareau knew that in Spencer Reid's arms was exactly the place were she was supposed to be. And she would sacrifice anything she could to stay there.


	17. Epilogue

_**AN/A long overdue epilogue to a story that I had a blast writing. I hope you enjoy it! This was my attempt at a JJ/Reid pairing, which is not my specialty, so I'm glad people have liked the story! Thanks to all of you that have reviewed/alerted this story, y'all ROCK! **_

* * *

EPILOGUE

5 years later

"Ah! Mrs. Jennifer! It's been a while!" The portly chef said as he handed JJ her takeout in his thick Italian accent.

"Francenso, it's only been eight days." JJ rebuttled as she handed him her credit card.

"True, but you're normally here every four days." He countered.

"A new Japanese place opened down the street." JJ admitted sheepishly, "I have to rotate."

"Well, I'm glad you got the manicotti, you haven't gotten that in a while. In fact, you haven't gotten it in I'd say, four years." The chef said, staring at her stomach.

"You remember that far?" JJ asked, dazed.

"When someone don't like my manicotti, I remember." The man said in his thick accent.

"Well, I thought I would try it again." JJ lied.

"Or you have got a little bambino who like italian food." Francenso observed. "Good Italian food I might add. Does the husband know?"

"Uh...Well...Er...Not yet. But, I was going to tell him tonight, I promise." She said to his increadulous glare. Then feeling the need to defend herself she added, "He has been gone on a case all week."

"How long you know you are pregnant." The man asked, eyebrows arched in disbelief.

"About a month, but I have a good excuse! You remember how he got last time I was pregnant!" JJ cried, trying to rationalize why she hadn't told her husband of nearly 5 years that she was expecting.

"You work in the same FBI, no?"

"Yeah, but it is different departments." JJ insisted.

"Well, here your food. Promise me you tell husband tonight!"

"What do you think the manicotti is for?" JJ joked, grabbing the bags from the man's hands.

"Say hi to Spencie and little Trevor for me!" Francenso called.

"Will do!" JJ waved at the man before he turned to help his next customer. She felt slightly annoyed, this was the second cook to pick up on her newest pregnancy cravings. The stupid Mexican take out lady--Lupe, started crying for joy when she ordered her sopopillas. JJ silently vowed that she would try new places to get her food. She mentally cursed her mother for not teaching her how to cook, because ever since her and Spence got married, they had it every night. Neither of them could cook at all, several small fires had been started in their attempts to give their small son a home cooked meal--after fire number seven, the local fire Chief--Captain Roberts--had made them promise to never ever try again unless a fireman was present. They almost burnt their small apartment building to a crisp on fire number four, so they readily agreed.

* * *

When JJ returned home, she started to put the Italian food in bowls--something that she didn't usually bother with. For about a month and a half she had fooled Spence into thinking she could cook, but now that her facade was long gone, she didn't feel the need to appear domestic. JJ was grateful the Reid had agreed to pick up Trevor from day-care today, it gave her a little more time and energy not spent chasing the rambunctious three year-old. Then JJ contemplated why she still called Spencer 'Reid', seeing as it was her last name too. Deciding it was purely evidence that old habits died hard, she went back to scooping the food into dishes.

"Jayje, I am home. And I brought a very messy boy who wants to see you. I think he said something about you being his favorite person to bathe him." Reid called slamming the door.

"No I didn't! Baths are stupid!" The three year-old called indignantly. JJ walked into the front room to see her baby boy covered in glue and glitter. JJ didn't know whether to laugh or to cry.

"Trevor, Sweetie, what did you do today?" JJ said, wrinkling her nose at the idea that she would be the one to get all of it off of him.

"I played 'Superman', and I ate a cookie and I colored and then I made a picture frame!" The small boy answered, his blonde hair drowning in blue glitter. He handed her a small round picture frame with a small picture of him in it. The frame had large, sporadic spots where Trevor had apparently decided looked better without glitter.

"Wow! Trev, that's...awesome." JJ complimented undecidedly. She looked at Spence urgently.

Understanding JJ's glare he picked up the small boy, mouthing what was unmistakeably _You owe me JJ! _"Ok buddy, lets hose you off before dinner. If I am not mistaken, its Italian night." Their young son squirmed, trying to get out of his father's grasp.

"NO BATH!" The toddler screamed unsuccessfully as he was carried into the bathroom. JJ laughed lightly, grateful that her husband had taken the bullet this time.

"Do I smell manicotti?" Reid called from the bathroom, confused. He wondered for a moment why, because JJ hated manicotti--especially from Francenso. But his thought process was robbed by the little toddler who kept trying to escape from the torture chamber known as the bathtub.

"You'll see." JJ responded coyly, not wanting her secret to be exposed until the right moment.

* * *

"Trevor. Use your fork!" JJ commanded, not needing to look at her son who was practically swimming in spaghetti sauce.

"So, manicotti?" Reid asked, perplexted as to why the sudden change in their meal schedule.

"Spence, do you remember the last time I ordered manicotti from Francenso?" JJ asked, deciding to clue in her genius husband to their upcoming life changing event.

"Yeah. It was November 13, just a couple of days before you had......" Reid's eyes grew to the size of saucers, "And we had manicotti once a week before that, the entire time you were...."

JJ smiled, but remained silent, allowing the profiler to make this discovery on his own.

"Do you mean to tell me, that you're going to....we're going to.....a baby?" Spence sputtered.

JJ nodded and smiled shyly.

"How long?...I mean, how far along are you...I mean are we...I mean?" JJ decided to save her floundering husband.

"I didn't want to say anything until I was sure, but then I wanted the timing to be right. I'm about two months along."

"Two months?" Spence croaked.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner---I knew you had that really bad case in Omaha, and then Trevor got sick, and..." JJ started.

"No. Honey, that's fine. It's just..."

"It's just what?"

"How am I supposed to set up his college fund, I mean, we only have" Reid quickly did the mental calculations in his head "7 months and 21 days to get it all figured out, and what about a new apartment? I mean, we can't have Trevor sharing a room with the baby, especially if it's a girl." JJ smiled at her husband's ranting, happy that he was taking it so well.

"We'll figure it out." She interrupted him as she moved across the table to his side, pulling his face towards hers.

"I love you, Jennifer. Thank you for making me the happiest man in the world." He said, pulling away so that she could see the love for her in his eyes.

"Thank the manicotti." She said as she kissed him again.


End file.
